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NEW DELHI: Meta-owned WhatsApp has come forward to clarify and defend its upcoming custom username feature shortly after India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a formal notice raising concerns over potential misuse, impersonation, and online scams.
The Indian government directed Meta to provide a detailed explanation of the feature within three days, instructing the platform to halt any rollout in India until a thorough consultation process is completed. Regulatory bodies expressed concerns that moving to custom usernames could complicate cybercrime investigations, stall First Information Reports (FIRs), and slow down the processing of portal complaints.
In response, a WhatsApp spokesperson clarified that the feature has only been announced and is not yet live for users, promising a slow rollout later this year. Addressing the government’s security concerns, the company emphasized that robust safeguards are already integrated into the design:
- Reserved Names: The highest-profile names—including government entities, public figures, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts—will be strictly reserved to ensure they can only be claimed by legitimate owners.
- Lookalike Protection: Derivative variations or lookalike strings of well-known names will also be blocked to minimize impersonation risks.
- Privacy-First Design: The optional feature will allow users to create a unique identifier starting with the “@” symbol, enabling communication without exposing personal phone numbers. The username will remain distinct from the display name and will be protected and non-discoverable by default to anyone who doesn’t already have the user’s phone number saved.
While privacy experts and cybersecurity specialists continue to warn that sophisticated lookalikes could still be exploited for fraud, Meta maintains that its unique username allocation system will prevent widespread abuse.