The ability to hide your phone number could invite other issues
WhatsApp has kicked off a major change to how you can connect on the platform, and it's already causing quite a stir among users.
The Meta-owned chat app is rolling out the ability to use a username, instead of a phone number, to identify your WhatsApp account. This means you won't need to share your number with someone that you're contacting for the first time. Once enabled, new contacts and businesses will only see your username when you message or call.
With over 3 billion people relying on WhatsApp worldwide, you'll need to be quick if you want to reserve your first-choice username. But while it might seem like a good idea to switch from a phone number to a username, the transition could come with unintended consequences.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology sent a notice to WhatsApp, warning its teams that the incoming feature could "materially increase the incidence of online fraud, phishing, digital arrest scams and impersonation attacks."
India is WhatsApp's biggest market, with over 500 million users, and cyber fraud schemes regularly exploit messaging apps to impersonate police, banks, and government officials.
Reports have surfaced that found usernames closely resembling major public figures were still up for grabs. According to testing from TechCrunch, handles like "indiamodi," "shahrukh.actor," "teamamitabh," and "rbi_verify" could all be reserved by anybody.
That's references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, and even the Reserve Bank of India.
However, Meta says it reserves usernames for public figures and government bodies, plus "some variations" of those names, so only the real owners can claim them.
A spokesperson for the tech firm 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 tech firm hasn't explained how it decides which lookalike handles get protected and which don't.
The Mozilla Foundation flagged similar worries to TechCrunch, noting that fake handles could lead to more scams and impersonation. They also pointed out that letting users claim their Facebook and Instagram usernames shows just how easily Meta can link identities across its apps.
WhatsApp users have also expressed their own concerns with the use of WhatsApp usernames.
One user wrote: "With enough hit and trial, the right person can be found, and then we have the same problem."
Another wrote that the username they have on social media has already been taken. "Mine won’t let me use my instagram name even though it’s linked. Keeps saying it’s taken."
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However, it should be noted that WhatsApp has built several safeguards into this new system to keep things secure.
There's no public directory where people can browse through usernames looking for someone to message. You'll need to know the exact username to find anyone – no suggestions or search results to scroll through.
For those wanting an extra layer of protection, there's an optional username key feature you'll be able to enable. This is similar to having a second password – people will need both your username and this key to reach you for the first time.
The username feature will roll out gradually over the coming months, and WhatsApp will send you a notification when usernames officially become available.
