Meta unit WhatsApp’s introduction of usernames – ostensibly to increase privacy for users so they don’t have to swap phone numbers – could backfire if hackers turn usernames into a new avenue for privacy attacks.
This is according to two experts, who both note that usernames will be fair game for hackers, while also being accessible to governmental agencies and advertisers, upending WhatsApp’s key to success: conversations and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default.
WhatsApp has always stated that its encryption “ensures that only you and the person you are communicating with can read or listen to them, preventing anyone in between – including WhatsApp, Meta, or cyber criminals – from accessing your data”.
Over the weekend, the messaging app said it was introducing usernames so that users provide these as contact details instead of phone numbers, which it calls “a major privacy feature”. It is encouraging users to “reserve your username now, before the feature launches later this year”.
Handle with care
“Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits,” WhatsApp says, noting that a phone number is personal and tied to many parts of a user’s life.
The Facebook and Instagram owner says: “This is also true for group conversations. You want to join the parent chat for the soccer team but you’re not ready to give your phone number to people you’ve never met.”
Trading View, a financial markets analysis platform, says: “The approach could help Meta position the update as a controlled privacy tool rather than a discovery feature, while bringing WhatsApp closer to rival messaging apps such as Signal, which already allows username-based conversations.”
It adds there will be no directory or username suggestions, so users will need to know a person’s exact username to contact them for the first time. An optional username key can be enabled to further restrict who is able to message them.
Meta is also introducing safeguards as the feature rolls out to reduce the risk of impersonation and scams, Trading View explains. Existing Facebook and Instagram usernames will be reserved for their current owners during the reservation period, and certain usernames associated with public figures, celebrities and government entities will remain permanently protected.
ICT veteran commentator Adrian Schofield, however, questions whether the feature will deliver the privacy benefits users expect. “Short usernames will not be difficult to find and are likely to become a new ‘game’ for those who enjoy breaking privacy protection,” he says.
Privacy, rebranded
The big issue is privacy, says T4i director Mark Walker, formerly with research company IDC. WhatsApp built its reputation on shielding users’ identities regardless of which groups they joined, or who they associated with. That promise, he argues, is now being quietly redefined.
“‘Privacy’ now means protection from impersonation by other users, not privacy from the platform’s own surveillance, data linkage, or other entities. It’s a security feature rebranded for a privacy-sensitive audience, directly trading away individual privacy for a form of collective safety,” he says.
Walker adds: “Users value WhatsApp for its privacy; none of the groups you join or people you associate with are shared externally with advertisers. That is what is being eroded.”
This move, Walker says, is “a sophisticated monetisation play,” using privacy, security and regulation to motivate users to verify their identities – for a fee – while positioning Meta as what he calls “the all-seeing trusted eye” attractive to both advertisers and government agencies.
Reserve your spot
In its announcement, Meta says users can reserve a username to use later this year when the feature launches. “A lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them.”
Content creators, small businesses and organisations that want to maintain a consistent online presence will be able to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp through reserved username options, says Meta.
Meta is listed as the 11th most valuable company by companiesmarketcap.com at $1.4 trillion – or R23 trillion.
“For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know. If you need help picking one, we have a username generator to make one work just for you,” Meta says.
WhatsApp had reached three billion users globally as of Meta’s 2025 first quarter results, or 36% of the world’s population. “WhatsApp now has more than three billion monthly actives, with more than 100 million people in the US and growing quickly there,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time.
During Meta’s latest results, Zuckerberg said: “WhatsApp continues to see strong momentum too, including in the US.”
Schofield questioned whether desirable short usernames could become targets for impersonation. “Look at the older Gmail accounts! Time to take a good look at alternative platforms?”
This feature will be rolled out in tranches and is already available in South Africa, based on an ITWeb poll. “We’ll be rolling out usernames gradually over the coming months and will notify you in WhatsApp when they’re available in your country,” Meta says.
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