Bangalore: The government of India on Wednesday issued a notice to WhatsApp seeking a detailed explanation of a newly announced feature, which allows users to reserve unique usernames and connect without sharing phone numbers, saying it would raise the risks of impersonation, identity theft and digital fraud on the Meta-owned messaging platform.
WhatsApp should hold off from rolling out the feature until consultations on the matter were completed and furnish the explanation within three days, the Union ministry of electronics and information technology said in the notice.
The company, which announced the feature as a major privacy upgrade on Monday, has started allowing users to reserve usernames.
However, Meta-owned WhatsApp has come out with a detailed set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the controversial username feature, outlining details on how it plans to address concerns around impersonation, scams and unwanted contact as users begin reserving usernames.
The FAQs come amid the Centre’s notice to Meta flagging concerns over potential fraud and impersonation risks, and warning against a roll out of the feature till consultations on the issue are completed “to the satisfaction of the government”.
Put simply, the new feature will allow users to create unique usernames that can be used for connecting on WhatsApp without sharing phone numbers.
The FAQs say usernames will be optional, cannot be searched by strangers, and that users can add an additional ‘username key’ requiring both the username and the key before someone can contact them.
WhatsApp said well-known names, including those of public figures, celebrities, government entities and Meta-verified accounts, have been reserved so they can only be claimed by legitimate owners. It also said users linking their Instagram or Facebook accounts can claim matching usernames to help verify ownership, while retaining the option to unlink those accounts later.
The messaging platform said it will monitor ‘blocks’ and ‘reports’ to act against scammers, while cautioning that claims about reserving popular or well-known usernames are false. Only legitimate account owners can claim protected names, it asserts.
Here is a look at the key clarifications and safeguards outlined by WhatsApp in its FAQs:
Q: Are usernames mandatory?
A: Nope, they are optional.
Q: What if the username I want isn’t available?
A: There’s a few reasons you might not be able to reserve the username you want:
1) It’s an existing Instagram or Facebook username; these are reserved for their owners.
2) We’ve held well-known names and some variations of them — like public figures, celebrities, government entities and Meta-verified accounts – so they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners. If you try to reserve those, the system will say it’s not available.
3) Someone already claimed a common name, in that case use the username generator.
Q: What if someone creates a username similar to mine to impersonate me or run a scam, how do you stop someone from pretending to be me?
A: Usernames are not available for messaging yet. When they are, and you get a message from someone new, we’ll let you know the country origin, and a warning for first time outreach. Well-known public-figure names and their variations are held for verified owners. We’re also keeping a close eye on blocks and reports to take action against scammers.
Q: Can random people message me if they know or guess my username?
A: Just like you can’t search for a phone number in WhatsApp, you can’t search for a username. The best way to prevent someone from contacting you is to add a username key and to choose a username that is unique to WhatsApp.
All the current measures remain in place to prevent unwanted contact, including warnings with details about unknown senders (whether they’re a new account, if you share groups, what country they’re in) and the ability to block and report.
Q: What is a username key?
A: An extra layer of protection you can enable with your username, so that another user will have to know both your username and your username key to contact you. You can reset your key at any time to stop new inbound contact through your username.
Q: Do I have to link my other Meta accounts?
A: If you want the same username as your Instagram or Facebook account, you’ll have to link them. This is one of the ways to reduce impersonation and to make sure you’re the legitimate owner of the account. But after that, you can unlink the account if you want, or you can choose a username unique to WhatsApp.
Q: Can I change my username later?
A: Yes, as long as the new one you want is available.
A few more things to keep in mind…people are making false claims about reserving popular or well-known usernames – this isn’t true, only the legitimate account owners are able to reserve well-known public-figure names.
We enabled reservations before usernames launch later this year because we think people will feel strongly about what username they want on WhatsApp. We’re taking our time and listening to feedback so that when it rolls out later this year we get it right.
