WhatsApp’s upcoming shift from phone numbers to usernames has triggered concerns over user privacy, impersonation and deeper integration with parent Meta's broader advertising ecosystem across Facebook and Instagram. WhatsApp told ET that such fears were overblown.
The feature, expected to roll out later this year, will allow users to connect using usernames instead of sharing their phone numbers. While experts say this reduces exposure of personal phone numbers and lowers risks such as SIM-swapping and contact scraping, they warn that the move also raises fresh questions over data sharing, platform integration and identity fraud.
“Soon you will have verified username on WhatsApp, and then unverified similar-sounding usernames,” Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma posted on X.
Mobikwik chief executive Bipin Preet Singh posted, “Not a good idea at all. Will lead to proliferation of fraud and impersonation. For example, I checked, most variations of my name already taken. Wonder what can it be used for.”
WhatsApp’s move towards usernames is, at first glance, a welcome privacy enhancement, said Nikhil Narendran, partner at Trilegal and a tech policy thought leader. “It allows users to communicate without routinely exposing their mobile numbers,” he said.
