WhatsApp tests date-of-birth feature in India ahead of DPDP Act age-verification rules

WhatsApp has begun testing an optional date-of-birth feature for a limited number of users in India as it prepares for compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act. The feature is voluntary during the testing phase and will not affect users' experience.

New Delhi: Meta-backed WhatsApp has started testing an optional feature that allows users in India to add their date of birth as the messaging platform prepares for compliance with upcoming provisions of the country’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act relating to age verification, according to a report.

NDTV Profit reported that the company confirmed that the feature is being tested with a limited set of users after screenshots surfaced online showing a prompt asking users to ‘Add your date of birth’, stating that upcoming laws in India require the platform to ask for users’ age.

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“To comply with upcoming laws in India like the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, we are testing privacy-protective ways for people to confirm their age,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

According to the company, the feature is currently optional and users do not need to provide their date of birth to continue using the messaging service during the testing phase.

“This doesn’t change how WhatsApp works or your experience. We understand that information about someone’s age is private and it won’t be shared with other WhatsApp users,” the spokesperson added, according to the report.

The move comes as India prepares to operationalise provisions of the DPDP Act that require platforms processing children’s personal data to adopt age-verification measures to determine whether users are below 18 years of age.

The test also comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny of Meta’s operations in India.

Earlier this week, Meta apologised after temporarily restricting a Facebook post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi related to examination paper leaks.

Separately, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has asked WhatsApp to delay the rollout of its username feature which would allow users to connect without sharing mobile numbers, citing concerns over impersonation and digital fraud.