India pauses username feature rollout, WhatsApp responds on impersonation fears

New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) After the Centre issued a notice to Meta over the proposed rollout of its username feature on WhatsApp, the Meta-owned company said that to protect against impersonation, “we’ve held the highest-profile names like public figures, government entities, celebrities and verified Meta accounts” so they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners.

The government earlier directed Kunal Shah-run WhatsApp to explain the username feature within three days and refrain from launching it until consultations with the government are completed. According to sources, the Centre sought a detailed explanation from Meta on the new feature and has directed the company to submit its response within three days.

The government also asked Meta not to roll out the “usernames” feature in India until consultations on the matter are completed, the sources added.

In a statement, a WhatsApp spokesperson that that “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. 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,” said the spokesperson.

Users still require a phone number to use WhatsApp and we’ve built multiple layers of defence against scams into usernames.

“Other users need to know the exact username to message you, we will limit how many new people an account can contact, block repeated attempts to guess someone’s username key, and have systems to detect and remove activity showing common impersonation and abuse patterns,” said the company spokesperson.

WhatsApp said when the feature becomes available and someone sends you a message for the first time via your username, “we will show you if they’re a new account, if they’re your contact, if you have groups in common, and if they’re based in a different country, so you can decide whether to respond.”

Earlier in the day, sources indicated that popular messaging platforms could be held accountable if new features create opportunities for fraud, amid growing debate over WhatsApp’s recently announced username feature.

They said that messaging platforms like WhatsApp must ensure that their products are not misused for impersonation or misinformation. WhatsApp is launching usernames for privacy, enabling users to interact without disclosing phone numbers.

While this can protect user identity, cyber-security experts warn of risks like impersonation and scams, highlighting the necessity for robust anti-abuse measures to ensure safety of millions of users in India.

–IANS

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