MeitY's WhatsApp Notice Tests the Limits of the IT Act

India's Ministry of Information Technology issued a show-cause notice to WhatsApp halting its planned username feature, citing cyber-fraud and phishing risks under the IT Act and 2021 Intermediary Rules. Legal experts argue MeitY lacks statutory authority to pre-approve product features, exposing a gap between the government's regulatory ambitions and the actual powers granted by existing legislation. If you're building messaging, payments, or social platforms in India, MeitY is now asserting product-approval powers it may not legally have—and testing whether you'll comply before a court says it must. That vulnerability cuts both ways: you can push back now, or accept that feature-by-feature vetting is the new cost of the Indian market.