WhatsApp locks down usernames of Singapore politicians in latest privacy feature roll-out
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SINGAPORE – Popular messaging platform WhatsApp will be rolling out a new feature that lets users hide their phone numbers and show their preferred usernames instead.Ahead of the feature’s roll-out later in 2026, the platform has already locked down high-WhatsApp locks down usernames of Singapore politicians in latest privacy feature roll-out
SINGAPORE – Popular messaging platform WhatsApp will be rolling out a new feature that lets users hide their phone numbers and show their preferred usernames instead.Ahead of the feature’s roll-out later in 2026, the platform has already locked down high-profile usernames such as @LawrenceWong, @OngYeKung and @VivianBalakrishnan, The Straits Times has learnt.These are the names of Singapore’s Prime Minister, Health Minister and Foreign Minister, respectively.The lockdown prevents impostors from claiming the names of these public figures, government entities or celebrities, the tech platform told The Straits Times.“To protect against impersonation, we’ve held the highest-profile names... so they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners. Lookalike derivatives of known names are held as well,” said a spokesperson. Read more














