WhatsApp has assured users that the names of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts will be protected under its upcoming username feature, responding to concerns raised by the Indian government over the potential for impersonation and online fraud.
The clarification comes as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) reportedly issued a formal notice to Meta asking for an explanation of the proposed feature and asking the company not to introduce it in India until consultations with the government are completed.
According to WhatsApp, the username feature has only been announced and has not yet been rolled out.
"We have 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."
The feature will also introduce optional usernames starting with the "@" symbol to allow users to connect with other users without sharing their own phone number. The username will be separate from a user's display name and will be visible by default to anyone who doesn't already have that user's phone number saved.
Meta lays out safeguards against impersonation.
In order to avoid identity theft and fraudulent accounts, WhatsApp said it has incorporated several safeguards into the system before its public release.
The company said usernames of high-profile individuals and organizations would continue to be reserved so they can only be claimed by legitimate owners.
"To guard against impersonation, we have 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," said the company's representative.
Each username will be different for the purposes of Meta because it prevents duplicate identities, Meta said. The company also added that usernames resembling official accounts or well-known personalities will be limited as part of its anti-impersonation measures.
Centre wants detailed explanation from Meta.
Even so, the Indian government is guarded about the new feature.
According to media reports, MeitY has asked Meta to explain the username system within three days. At the same time, officials have also told the company not to start the feature in India until the discussions with the government are complete.
The government’s concern, of course, is that cybercriminals could take advantage of usernames to impersonate government officials, businesses, celebrities or just regular people by creating deceptively similar identities. A phishing attack, financial fraud or misinformation campaign could be made with the help of such accounts.
While Meta says it will reserve prominent usernames, cybersecurity experts have warned that visually similar usernames, such as longer characters, numbers or subtle spelling variations, may still confuse users and be exploited by scammers.
It’s the username feature that is one of the most significant identity-related updates of WhatsApp in the last few years. It’s similar to other social media and messaging apps that already have built-in username features and can be used to communicate with a user without the phone number, giving them a little bit more privacy.
But with digital fraud ballooning globally, the rollout will come under close regulatory control. India’s concerns highlight the balance technology companies need to strike to protect users’ privacy and to make sure that their technology is not used for the wrong reasons.
WhatsApp has said that the feature is not live yet and will be introduced gradually later this year, and all of the details are being worked out with Indian authorities on how it will be used and security measures.
