Government Halts Meta’s Hidden-Number Feature
On Wednesday, the Indian IT ministry directed WhatsApp to explain within three days why regulatory action should not be initiated over its planned "@username" identifier feature. Meta had recently opened reservation windows for its 3 billion global users, marketing the update as a privacy victory that allows people to chat without revealing their personal phone numbers.
However, Indian law enforcement and cybersecurity analysts warned that the feature could spark a "scam disaster". Government sources outlined specific security vulnerabilities:
- Digital Arrest & Phishing: Eliminating phone numbers removes a primary identity verification layer, making it far easier for bad actors to conduct
phishing and digital arrest scams. - Impersonation Vulnerabilities: While Meta blocked high-profile celebrity and government handles, experts note that fraudsters can easily deploy lookalike usernames and slight typographical variations that everyday citizens will fail to catch.
- Lack of Accountability: Indian authorities are demanding that Meta present a system that internally maps all public usernames to verified phone numbers before any public rollout is permitted in WhatsApp's largest global market.
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