Why govt finds WhatsApp's username feature problematic: ‘Fraud, digital arrest, impersonation’

The Centre issued a notice to Meta on Wednesday, July 1, over the controversial username feature on WhatsApp in India. Citing potential risks, the government warned the platform not to roll out the feature until consultations on the issue are completed.

“You are also directed not to roll out this feature until the consultation on this point is achieved to the satisfaction of the Government,” read the notice issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to WhatsApp.

The ministry notes that the new usernames feature will permit existing and new users on WhatsApp to reserve unique usernames. Upon full activation, the feature allows them to initiate and conduct conversations by exchanging usernames alone, without disclosing their mobile telephone numbers, it said.

Why govt finds WhatsApp username feature problematic

The ministry warned that WhatsApp's new username feature could facilitate impersonation, fraud and online scams.

"It is understood that once the feature is enabled, the recipient's phone number will no longer be visible to a first-time contact and that an optional 'username key' may be set as an additional control," the ministry's notice read.

The ministry said this feature may also “facilitate impersonation and identity spoofing, including impersonation of individuals, public authorities, financial institutions, and government agencies, by permitting the adoption of usernames closely resembling those of genuine persons or institutions.”

Earlier, cybersecurity experts and startup founders claimed that users could create usernames resembling those of businesses, government agencies or public figures, potentially enabling impersonation, fraud and financial scams unless robust verification and anti-abuse safeguards are put in place.

Paytm founder and Chief Executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma wrote on X that similar-sounding usernames could become a vector for impersonation and scams.

Jasveer Singh, co-founder and Chief Executive of KnotDating, also questioned how the platform would balance user privacy with accountability.

WhatsApp reacts

On the government's notice, a WhatsApp spokesperson said, “We’ve announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp."

Addressing the concerns about impersonation and fraud, the spokesperson said, “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."

The social media platform clarified that users still require a phone number to use WhatsApp and that “multiple layers of defense against scams" has been built.

The spokesperson explained, “Other users need to know the exact username to message you, we will limit how many new people an account can contact, block repeated attempts to guess someone’s username key, and have systems to detect and remove activity showing common impersonation and abuse patterns.”

“When the feature becomes available and someone sends you a message for the first time via your username, we will show you if they're a new account, if they’re your contact, if you have groups in common, and if they’re based in a different country, so you can decide whether to respond,” the spokesperson said.

They added, “The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year.”

What is WhatsApp username feature?

The Meta-owned platform recently announced the usernames feature that will allow users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers.

The feature allows users to reserve their optional usernames by navigating to 'Settings', followed by 'Account' and 'Username' on the latest version of the app.

Meta said that a username is an optional unique identifier you can choose for your WhatsApp account.

It starts with the '@' symbol (for example, @Name123) and can be used by others to message or call a person, while keeping their phone number private.

The username is different from the display name (the name that appears in your profile). The display name doesn't have to be unique, but the username does.

According to Meta, people who don't have the persons' number saved will see their username instead by default.

This includes when they participate in group chats, message someone directly, or make calls on WhatsApp.

Their username always appears with an @ symbol in front. This makes it easy for others to tell the difference between their username, their display name, and their phone number.

Meta says usernames are unique to each account. If the username a person want is already taken, they will need to choose a different one.

Certain usernames are held for businesses, governments, or public figures and can't be claimed by others.