WhatsApp India Confirms Celebrity, Govt Usernames Will Be Reserved To Prevent Impersonation

Meta-owned WhatsApp has started rolling out its Usernames feature to solve one of the biggest privacy problems on the platform. With this feature, users will no longer have to share their personal mobile number every time they want to connect with someone on WhatsApp. Instead, they will be able to use a unique username to start conversations with new people and businesses while keeping their phone number private.The feature is one of the biggest changes WhatsApp has introduced in recent years. But, it has raised concerns about privacy and online safety. Why The Feature Has Sparked ConcernsSome creators and well-known personalities, including Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, have warned that scammers could use similar-looking usernames to pretend

to be celebrities, banks brands and even government agencies.In response to these concerns, WhatsApp India told Times Now Tech that it has added several safety measures to the new feature. The company said usernames of celebrities, government organisations and verified Meta accounts will be reserved so that only their real owners can claim them."The highest-profile names — think public figures, government entities, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts — are held so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners, and certain lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well. We'll ban accounts or revoke usernames when we find evidence of identity impersonation or scam," the instant messaging platform said in statement shared with us. In a post on X, popular content creator Ankur Warikoo said the usernames system could become a major problem in a country like India if WhatsApp does not have strong anti-abuse measures in place.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma also said the similar looking usernames could become a major problem. "Soon you will have verified username on WhatsApp, and then unverified similar-sounding usernames... which in turn will…," he wrote on X.WhatsApp Explains How Usernames Will Work, What It Is Doing To Stop ImpersonationResponding to Times Now Tech, a WhatsApp spokesperson said the messaging platform is primarily a private messaging app that people use to connect with friends and family. Usernames are company's latest step to make WhatsApp even more private. There's no directory to browse and no suggestions. "People and unknown contacts will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time and to help control who can reach you on WhatsApp with your username, we've built an optional username key that others will need to know to message you," the company said.

"We’ve built layered protections to protect our users. Existing Facebook and Instagram usernames are reserved for their owners during the reservation period and for a limited time after," it added.Apart from reserving, high-profile official usernames, WhatsApp India stressed that company's automated systems detect and remove activity or ban accounts showing common impersonation and abuse patterns. "For example, we will limit how many new people any account can contact through usernames and block repeated attempts to guess someone's username key. We also limit how often users can change their usernames to protect against abuse." the messaging app explained. WhatsApp further added that it will ban accounts or revoke usernames when we find evidence of identity impersonation or scam."Just like we do today, when usernames launch later this year and you receive a message for the first time from someone who is not saved to your contacts - regardless of if they are using a phone number or a username - we will show you details in the message that you can use to determine how to respond," the US-based messaging app stressed.When asked how WhatsApp will deal with fake or misleading usernames, a company spokesperson told Times Now Tech that users will be able to block and report such accounts, just as they can report suspicious accounts today. The spokesperson said WhatsApp encourages people to report any account that appears to be pretending to be someone else."We’ve built multiple layers of defense against scams into usernames: the optional username key limits who can reach you with your username and people will need to know the exact username to message you. We will block repeated attempts to guess someone's username key and limit how often users can change their usernames to protect against abuse. Our automated systems detect and remove other activity showing common impersonation and abuse patterns," WhatsApp India said.Experts Say Awareness Will Be Equally ImportantPrabhu Ram, Vice President, CyberMedia Research (CMR), believes usernames are an important privacy upgrade but says scammers are unlikely to stay behind for long."Usernames are a welcome step toward restoring privacy on WhatsApp. However, scammers have always shown a remarkable ability to adapt quickly. Given WhatsApp's massive scale and the trust it enjoys in India, concerns about impersonation of loved ones, banks, government agencies, or brands are very real," he told Times Now Tech.He said WhatsApp has introduced several meaningful safeguards, including optional username keys, automated abuse detection and the ability for businesses and creators to connect their Instagram usernames.

However, he believes these protections will only work if people know they exist.According to Prachir Singh, Senior Analyst at Counterpoint Research, introduction of usernames gives users another way to connect on WhatsApp without sharing their phone numbers, which is a positive step for privacy. WhatsApp has also built-in features such as the optional username key, which adds an extra verification step for first-time contacts. "At the same time, users should verify the identity of accounts claiming to represent banks, brands, or government agencies, and avoid sharing sensitive information based on a username alone," he said. The Bottom LineWhatsApp's username feature is one of its biggest privacy upgrades in years because it removes the need to share your personal phone number with everyone you want to contact.At the same time, it introduces a new challenge -- ensuring that usernames are not misused for scams or impersonation.To address these concerns, WhatsApp India says it has added several safety measures to the usernames feature. However, it will become clear only after the usernames feature is rolled out to millions of users.