WhatsApp usernames of S’pore politicians like Lawrence Wong & Lee Hsien Loong already locked down to prevent impersonation

Messaging platform WhatsApp is planning to introduce usernames as part of a privacy feature for users to hide their phone numbers.

Before the new feature officially rolls out, the platform has already locked down high-profile usernames of politicians in Singapore, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

This includes usernames for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Various permutations of these politicians’ names have also been locked, such @lawrencewong, @LawrenceW0ng, @Lawrence_Wong, and @LawrenceWongg.

Checks by Mothership found that usernames for Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam were not available as well.

Some permutations of usernames for Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing were also unavailable.

Preventing imposters

The lockdown was implemented to protect against impersonation so that the usernames can be claimed by their legitimate owners, WhatsApp told ST.

This prevents impostors from claiming the names of these public figures, government entities or celebrities, they said.

Handles used by fraudsters can feature visually similar characters or subtle spelling differences with convincing profile pictures to look legitimate, said Santiago Pontiroli, threat intelligence research lead at cyber protection company Acronis’ Threat Research Unit.

As such, lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well.

New privacy feature

WhatsApp announced the new feature in a blog post on Jun. 29, letting users reserve a username on a first-come first-serve basis ahead of the official roll-out.

The change means that a user can now enable their account to be found only by their username and keep their phone number private.

The platform said they have a username generator for those who needs help choosing a username.

Meanwhile, creators, small businesses, and organisations who may want to maintain a consistent presence online can claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp.

Users can go to the latest version of WhatsApp, go to settings, then account, and enter a username.

Those who choose not to select a username can continue to use their mobile number.

Safeguards

Users can report impersonators through WhatsApp's website if there is a dispute over a username, after which the platform will review the case and take appropriate action, ST reported.

Additionally, users will be prevented from browsing a username directory — a sender will need to know the exact username before they can start a conversation with someone new.

Other than that, users can also opt to give the other party a four-digit code to initiate a new conversation.

WhatsApp will also block repeated attempts to guess usernames, detect and remove suspicious accounts, and limit the number of new contacts an account can message.