WhatsApp launches usernames, offering phone-number privacy as India questions rollout

Meta’s WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new username system that lets users reserve a unique handle and chat without revealing their phone numbers. The feature, now available to a growing share of the app’s roughly 3 billion users, includes an optional “Username Key” that restricts first‑time messages to contacts who know a four‑digit code. Users can claim, edit or delete usernames through Settings → Account → Username, and the rollout is proceeding gradually worldwide.

The change is promoted as a privacy boost, allowing individuals, businesses and public figures to be contacted without exposing personal phone numbers. However, experts warn that it could increase impersonation and phishing risks, especially if public‑figure usernames are claimed by unauthorised parties. Meta says it has reserved high‑risk names (politicians, verified accounts) and built safeguards such as exact‑username matching, limits on new contacts, and extra sender information for unknown usernames.

India’s government has asked Meta to halt the rollout and provide details within three days on how it will protect users from fraud and impersonation. Meta has defended the design, emphasizing that phone numbers remain mandatory for account creation and that the new controls aim to curb abuse.