Somalia warns WhatsApp usernames could undermine anti‑terror operations

Somalia’s government told the BBC it is concerned about WhatsApp’s plan to let users chat with usernames instead of phone numbers, saying the change could make it harder to trace criminals and counter al‑Shabab militants. Communications and Technology Minister Ahmed Osman Dirie warned that the feature, expected to roll out to three billion users, would let people change or remove usernames at any time. WhatsApp replied that the feature is not yet live, that phone numbers would still be required and that built‑in safeguards against scams are included.

Dirie highlighted Somalia’s heavy reliance on mobile‑money transactions and argued that unverified, untraceable usernames could increase financial fraud, scams and enable militants to use the platform for extortion and propaganda. In 2024 the Somali intelligence agency shut down 20 WhatsApp groups linked to al‑Shabab and disabled data services for about 2,500 phone numbers.

Somalia has approached Meta seeking a resolution, noting that India has raised similar concerns and asked the company to postpone the rollout until governments are satisfied.