When a service’s name becomes a verb, it has crossed the line from being a mere utility to having become an integral part of people’s daily lives. So it is with WhatsApp, the online messaging service with an estimated 3.3 billion users worldwide. “WhatsApp it to me” has become as commonplace as “Google it”.
But WhatsApp is changing. On the technical side, the Meta-owned service’s reported move towards embracing usernames instead of phone numbers is a modest update. For many, it is a welcome step. There are some valid reasons why a user’s phone number should be less visible online. In the wrong hands, it can be used to unlock sensitive details of a person’s life, from their home address and ID details to their employment and tax records. When coupled with real fears about online and in-person harassment, this switch, in principle, offers a layer of protection that is difficult to dismiss.
However, the reality is that by transforming one of the world’s most widely used messaging platforms from a utility to something like a social network, much deeper consequences emerge – some of which remain open to question. In the UAE, there are rigorous rules about sending abusive, defamatory or misleading messages, including by WhatsApp. If malicious users can hide behind anonymity, it could allow them to harass others, and make it harder to hold them accountable.
There is also the risk that this change will enable scammers. Indeed, security experts have long made the point that fraud is adaptive. As Eliad Kimhy, a senior researcher at cyber security company Acronis told The National this week: “Scams follow attention, trust and scale, and WhatsApp has all three.” With the advent of usernames, phishing and impersonation may become more sophisticated rather than less frequent.
There are also early indications of other unintended consequences. The rush to secure prestige usernames mirrors the digital land grabs of the early internet, when domain names and social media handles became valuable commodities. Without clear governance frameworks from Meta, disputes over ownership, impersonation and brand misuse may arise.
More broadly, switching from phone numbers to usernames introduces a degree of separation between the individual and their digital persona, underlining a structural shift in how people relate to one another in digital spaces. This brings WhatsApp closer to the dynamics – and risks – of other messaging services, such as Telegram. However, verification is crucial - as is the case with Signal.
WhatsApp has taken steps to mitigate some of these risks. Specific usernames, such as the names of high-profile individuals, are either unavailable or reserved for WhatsApp Business users. This is regarded as a move to prevent spoofing or misuse of a persona. In addition, a username key is to be introduced – an optional code that requires a username and a key to contact someone on WhatsApp for the first time.
Little stands still in this digital era, and WhatsApp is no exception. Whether this change proves beneficial will depend less on the update itself than on how responsibly it is governed – and how well its users are prepared.
