Zoho's Arattai to drop username feature amid WhatsApp controversy

Zoho-backed messaging app Arattai will disable its username-based account feature "to comply with regulatory change", founder Sridhar Vembu announced on X.

This comes amid a wider standoff between the Centre and messaging platforms over features that let users connect without sharing phone numbers. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) gave Meta three days to respond to a July 1 letter and halt the rollout of WhatsApp's new usernames feature pending government approval. The ministry warned the feature could "materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks."



Officials are concerned that usernames could make it easier for fraudsters to impersonate celebrities, public figures or government officials, since phone numbers currently offer at least one identifiable marker for recipients. Tests reportedly found lookalike handles referencing the Prime Minister, Bollywood stars and the RBI were still available during WhatsApp's rollout window.

The scrutiny has since widened. Sources told PTI that the IT ministry has also written to Telegram and Signal - which already have the username feature - and asked how concerns around fraud and impersonation are being addressed by them.

WhatsApp has said the username feature will be optional and includes safeguards against impersonation, and that existing Instagram, Facebook, and verified public-figure handles will carry over. Digital rights group the Internet Freedom Foundation has criticised the government's case-by-case notices as lacking clear legal grounding.