The Centre on Wednesday issued a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of its “usernames” feature on WhatsApp, asking the company to submit a report within three days, highly placed sources said.The company had been told to furnish a detailed explanation on the feature within three days and not to launch it until consultation on the matter was over, the sources said.The government had, earlier in the day, expressed concern over the feature, with the sources indicating that the issue was being monitored closely as it posed possible risks to digital security. The sources said social media platforms must ensure that their products were not misused for impersonation, scams or misinformation.Any misuse of the feature through usernames, edited messages, fake groups or impersonation could invite regulatory action similar to the measures taken against Telegram during the NEET examination controversy, they said.“Platforms must ensure their architecture is not used to create mischief. If it is, the response will be calibrated but firm,” an official said. “Features like username registration may pose risks to digital security as it could be misused by creating usernames in anyone’s name. Therefore, the ministry is looking into the issue and will discuss the matter with the relevant departments and every legal aspect of the issue will be examined.”WhatsApp is expected to roll out the username feature later this year, which will allow users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers. While privacy advocates say the move could reduce exposure to risks such as contact scraping and SIM-swapping attacks, experts have raised concerns about identity fraud, impersonation and data-sharing implications.