GoKawiilEdgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR WhatsApp is defending its upcoming username feature after the Indian government reportedly raised concerns about fraud and impersonation.
India wants answers before rollout, fearing usernames could make it easier for scammers to hide their identities and impersonate people or organizations.
WhatsApp says protections are already built in, including reserved usernames for public figures, government entities, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts.
WhatsApp is pushing back against rising concerns over its upcoming username feature after the Indian government allegedly asked the company to stop its rollout and explain how it plans to prevent fraud and impersonation. The response follows warnings from officials that allowing people to connect without sharing phone numbers could create new opportunities for scammers and cybercriminals. Officials had warned that allowing people to connect without sharing phone numbers could create new opportunities for scammers and cybercriminals.
The probe comes after reports that India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asked WhatsApp to delay the rollout of the feature until consultations are done and sought a detailed explanation within three days (via Asian News International on X). Officials fear that usernames could make it easier for bad actors to impersonate people, companies, or government agencies and then hide behind anonymous identities, the report says.
But a WhatsApp spokesperson told Android Authority those concerns have already been addressed in the feature’s design. “We’ve announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp. The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year. To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well.”
WhatsApp says users will still need a phone number to create and use an account, different from platforms that only use usernames. The username is meant as an alternative mechanism for people to discover each other without revealing their phone number right away, not as a replacement for account registration.
The company also detailed a few anti-abuse measures that will be part of the feature. WhatsApp says you need to know a person’s exact username before they can message you. The platform will also cap the number of new people an account can reach out to, block repeated guessing of usernames, and employ automated systems to flag impersonation and other suspicious activity.
WhatsApp says users will get more context if someone contacts them via a username for the first time. The app will tell you if the sender is a new account, already in your contacts, sharing a group with you, or messaging from a different country, giving recipients more information before deciding whether to reply.
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