Summary of this article
Meta-owned WhatsApp's decision to introduce usernames in place of phone numbers for first-time interactions has triggered a wider debate over the future of digital identity, privacy and online safety.
While the company said the optional feature is designed to let people communicate without exposing their mobile numbers, the Indian government has asked WhatsApp to pause the rollout, arguing that it could materially increase fraud, phishing, impersonation and digital arrest scams.
