WhatsApp’s long-awaited username feature has come under early regulatory pressure after the Indian government asked Meta to delay its rollout over concerns that it could create new opportunities for online fraud, phishing and impersonation scams.
The move comes just days after WhatsApp announced that users around the world could begin reserving usernames ahead of a gradual global rollout later this year.
However, WhatsApp has clarified that the feature is not yet live.
“We have announced the option for people to reserve their preferred username on WhatsApp. The ability to use a username is not yet live and will roll out slowly later this year,” a company spokesperson said on July 1.
Read also: WhatsApp introduces username feature to enable more users’ privacy
India, WhatsApp’s largest market with an estimated 850 million users, has formally written to the company, directing it to explain how the new feature will prevent cybercrime. The government also instructed Meta not to launch the feature in the country until consultations with regulators are completed.
The development highlights the growing tension between digital privacy innovations and rising cybersecurity threats, especially in countries where online financial fraud has increased sharply.
For years, WhatsApp has relied entirely on mobile phone numbers to identify users. The introduction of usernames represents one of the platform’s biggest changes since its launch, allowing people to connect without sharing their personal phone numbers.
The feature is designed to improve user privacy, particularly for people communicating with businesses, online communities or individuals they do not know personally.
According to WhatsApp, opening username reservations early gives users a better chance of securing their preferred identity before the full rollout.
With more than three billion users globally, the company said many names overlap, making early reservations necessary.
Recognising concerns about identity theft, Meta said it has built several safeguards into the system before the feature becomes available.
The company has already reserved usernames belonging to public figures, government institutions, celebrities and verified Meta accounts so they cannot be claimed by impostors. It has also blocked many lookalike versions of well-known names to reduce impersonation attempts.
WhatsApp said users will still need a valid phone number to register an account, meaning usernames will not replace existing account verification.
The platform also plans to introduce multiple security protections, including limits on how many new people an account can contact, systems that block repeated attempts to guess usernames, and automated detection tools to identify suspicious behaviour linked to impersonation and scams.
When users receive a first message from someone they do not know, WhatsApp will display additional account information, including whether the account is newly created, whether the sender is messaging from another country, whether they share mutual groups, and whether the sender is already in the recipient’s contacts.
Users will then be able to add the sender, block the account or report suspicious activity.
To reduce confusion, every username will begin with the “@” symbol, making it easier to distinguish usernames from display names and phone numbers. The platform will also prohibit usernames made up entirely of numbers.
The regulatory concerns raised by India could influence how other governments approach the rollout, especially as countries strengthen rules around digital identity, consumer protection and online fraud.
Read also: WhatsApp moves to hide users’ phone numbers with global username rollout
For markets such as Nigeria, where cybercrime, identity theft and social engineering scams remain significant concerns, regulators may closely monitor the feature before its widespread adoption.
At the same time, the username system could provide genuine privacy benefits by allowing users to communicate without exposing their mobile numbers, reducing one of the most common ways scammers harvest personal information.
Whether the feature becomes a stronger privacy shield or creates new opportunities for cybercriminals will depend largely on how effectively WhatsApp’s security measures perform once the global rollout begins later this year.
Get Newsletter Updates
Enjoying our column?
Subscribe to our specialised **Tech Pulse** feed to receive fresh reports and analyses directly in your inbox.
