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Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. The Government of India has expressed concerns over Meta Platforms Inc. introducing usernames on its messaging platform, WhatsApp, citing a potential increase in cybercrime. Despite the backlash, Meta defended its decision. Meta's WhatsApp introduced the username feature on Monday, touting it as a "major privacy feature" aimed at helping people connect without disclosing their phone numbers. The feature is not yet live and will be rolled out "slowly later this year." Don't Miss: A single bad hire can set a startup back years. Here are the 5 hires founders most often misjudge — and why Still Learning the Market? These 50 Must-Know Terms Can Help You Catch Up Fast On Thursday, a Meta Platforms spokesperson told CNBC that WhatsApp usernames will include multiple anti-scam protections, including phone number verification, limits on contacting new users, safeguards against username guessing, and systems to detect and remove impersonation and abusive activity. Notably, this comes days after Meta Platforms invested $900 million in Indian fintech startup CRED, while CRED founder Kunal Shah is set to lead WhatsApp globally, bolstering Meta's digital payments strategy. Meta Faces Fresh AI Scrutiny On Wednesday, the Indian

WhatsApp Is Bringing Usernames: What It Means for Your Privacy and Cybersecurity | 5 Live #WhatsApp #WhatsAppUpdate #Usernames #Privacy ...

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Spokespersons for Telegram and Signal did not have an immediate comment to share on the notices. File photo for representational purposes only. | Photo Credit: Dado Ruvic The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Thursday (July 2, 2026) sent notices to Telegram and Signal, seeking information on their username feature. The notice comes shortly after a similar missive was sent to WhatsApp on Wednesday (July 1, 2026). The Meta-owned messaging platform is yet to implement the feature anywhere in the world, but is taking reservations for usernames. Spokespersons for Telegram and Signal did not have an immediate comment to share on the notices (Telegram was contacted outside normal business hours in the United Arab Emirates). The username feature appeared to remain available on both platforms well into Thursday evening. The Union government’s move against the three messaging platforms comes on the heels of a week-long ban of Telegram, after authorities argued that backdated PDF files could lead to people mistakenly assuming a question paper was leaked. Telegram fought against the ban in the Delhi High Court, calling the move a “mistake”. The court sided with the government, holding the short ban a proportionate response. Telegram was unblocked after

WhatsApp this week started rolling out username reservations ahead of the broader launch planned later this year. The feature — which lets people find and message each other by handle instead of phone number — is already raising impersonation concerns, drawing scrutiny from security experts and regulators in India, the app’s largest market, with more than 500 million users. The rollout marks a shift in how people identify one another on WhatsApp. Instead of relying on phone numbers as the primary identifier, users will increasingly interact through platform-managed usernames, a change that Meta says improves privacy but that critics argue could create new opportunities for impersonation. In early testing, TechCrunch found usernames resembling prominent politicians, celebrities, business figures, and public institutions — including “indiamodi,” “shahrukh.actor,” “teamamitabh,” “ambanijio,” and “rbi_verify” — were still available to reserve. These reference Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s telecom company Jio, and the Reserve Bank of India, respectively. Separately, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said on X that he couldn’t reserve “cz_binance,” the handle he already uses on that platform. Asked about how it protects against impersonation, Meta told TechCrunch it reserves usernames for public figures

By Celeste Bott July 1, 2026, 5:52 PM EDT The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the wire fraud and money laundering conviction of a man who challenged the admission of incriminating WhatsApp messages between him and an uncharged co-conspirator into... To view the full article, register now. Already a subscriber? Click here to view full article

NewsFeed WhatsApp is rolling out usernames to keep phone numbers private. The feature gets installed later this year, however, users are able to start reserving their usernames now. This change marks a new level of privacy for WhatsApp users who want to keep their numbers private while still chatting and joining groups with new people. Al Jazeera’s @emmawithrow examines why WhatsApp decided to add the new feature and how it will impact privacy for users going forward. Published On 30 Jun 2026

Vasin Lee/Shutterstock Usernames have been part of the everyday online experience for decades, but until this year, WhatsApp ignored them. You authenticate in the world's most popular chat app with your phone number, which also secures your account. But since Meta added email support to WhatsApp, the company is finally moving forward with a username initiative that some people may like. Meta will let you associate a username with your phone number this year, a feature that should improve privacy. Instead of sharing your number with strangers for new WhatsApp chats, you can give them your username. Before the feature rolls out, Meta is letting WhatsApp users reserve their desired username, a process that is available on both iOS and Android. Android and iPhone users can start securing their alias from a notification they may see in the app. The alternative is to open the app's settings and go through the username reservation process, which is identical on either smartphone operating system. Usernames are optional, and WhatsApp will continue to support phone numbers just like before. However, those who want to protect their mobile contact information and secure a specific username will want to act fast, as there will be significant competition over common names

Monday June 29, 2026 4:01 pm PDT by Juli Clover Popular messaging app WhatsApp is now allowing users to reserve usernames ahead of plans to launch username-based messaging. Right now, WhatsApp uses a person's phone number as an identifier, but usernames will allow people to interact without having to exchange personal information. Username reservations are rolling out starting this week, and not all users will have access to the reservation system right away. WhatsApp is sending a notification when a username can be reserved. Usernames are optional, and once access has been granted, a username can be selected by going to Settings > Account > Username. Usernames can be 3 to 35 characters in length. There are over three billion people on WhatsApp, and the company says it is opening up reservations early so "everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them." WhatsApp suggests users choose a unique name only contacts would know. Creators, small businesses, and organizations have the option to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp. Users who have a username on Instagram or Facebook can claim the same username on WhatsApp by choosing the Use Instagram username or Use Facebook

WhatsApp today announced a much-awaited feature: usernames, which will allow users to share their profiles without disclosing their phone number. However, WhatsApp will still require a phone number to create an account on the chat app. WhatsApp has been working on adding usernames for a few years, and it is finally ready to detail how they work. Starting today, the Meta-owned company will let users reserve usernames, which will officially roll out later this year. People can choose any username with 3 to 35 characters. The company said it’s reserving usernames for top celebrities, VIPs, and organizations. Besides that, there aren’t any restrictions on choosing a username, as long as it doesn’t violate the company’s policies. Meta said that if businesses and creators want to maintain uniformity, they can claim their Facebook or Instagram username as their WhatsApp username. Users will receive a notification once the username reservation option is available in their country. After that, they can go to Settings > Account > Username to choose their username. WhatsApp will also provide an option for users to set a username key that others will need to know to message them. Meta noted that the reason for the reservation process is