After Centre's Notice, WhatsApp Says Public Figures', Govt Usernames Will Be Kept Reserved

WhatsApp has said the names of public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts will be kept reserved under its upcoming usernames feature, shortly after the Centre issued a notice to Meta over concerns that the tool could be misused for impersonation and online scams.

A spokesperson for the company said the feature has only been announced and is not yet available to users.

“We’ve 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,” the spokesperson said.

Addressing concerns over misuse, the company said it has already built safeguards into the feature.

“To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile

names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, verified Meta accounts — so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners and lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well,” the spokesperson added.

Centre Seeks Explanation From Meta

WhatsApp’s clarification came after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a formal notice to Meta over the proposed username system.

According to sources quoted by CNN-News18, the government has directed Meta to submit a detailed explanation of the feature within three days and has instructed the company not to roll it out in India until the consultation process is completed.

The move follows concerns that the new username feature could make it easier for cybercriminals to impersonate individuals, government officials or public personalities by creating misleading usernames.

The upcoming feature will allow users to create an optional, unique username beginning with the “@” symbol, enabling others to message or call them without revealing their phone number. The username will be distinct from a user’s display name and will be visible by default to people who do not have their phone number saved.

Meta has said usernames will be unique to each account, and certain names linked to businesses, governments and public figures will remain reserved to prevent misuse. However, privacy experts and cybersecurity specialists have raised concerns that similar-looking usernames could still be exploited for fraud.

(With inputs from agencies)