The Government of India has reportedly raised concerns over WhatsApp’s upcoming username feature, under which users would be able to connect without sharing their mobile numbers. According to reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has sought an explanation from Meta Platforms over the security safeguards planned for the feature, amid concerns that it could potentially be misused for impersonation, phishing and other cyber frauds.

WhatsApp recently announced that it is rolling out usernames in phases, allowing users to chat without revealing their phone numbers. The company says the feature is designed to improve privacy, reduce spam, and give users greater control over who can contact them. Users will be able to create a unique username through Settings → Account → Username, while existing features such as end-to-end encryption, blocking, reporting and chat history will remain unchanged.

Cybersecurity experts have, however, expressed concerns that fraudsters could attempt to create usernames resembling those of banks, government departments, businesses or public figures to deceive users. Such impersonation attempts could be used in phishing scams or other forms of online fraud if adequate safeguards are not in place.

In response to these concerns, Meta has stated that the platform has built multiple security measures into the username system. According to the company, usernames of prominent individuals, verified organisations, government bodies and financial institutions will be protected against misuse. Meta also says it is developing systems to detect suspicious accounts, prevent confusingly similar usernames and identify unusual account activity to reduce the risk of impersonation.