As WhatsApp battles security concerns over its new Username feature on the messaging platform, Zoho-owned homegrown messaging app Arattai has backed the feature noting that it can help enhance privacy in group settings if implemented with strict safeguards.“While Username-based connections can significantly enhance privacy by preventing mobile number leaks in groups, they must be implemented with strict, proactive safeguards,” Jeri John, Global Product Head, Arattai, told businessline, answering a query on the feature.Arattai uses usernames as a specific utility tool, he said, noting that the feature is also strictly an opt-in configuration.“To mitigate the risks of impersonation, phishing, and identity spoofing, native architectural guardrails are critical. We address these security concerns by proactively reserving critical handles and brand names to prevent bad actors from misusing them, and we use verified tags (a check mark badge near the user name), to validate legitimate user accounts,” he explained.Arattai, which considers privacy as a key feature, says its controls also allow individuals to block unsolicited outreach even if an unknown entity discovers a user’s username. “We want users to have absolute control over their communication layer. New chats are only permitted if they pass the user’s explicit messaging permissions,” John said.Other messaging apps such as Signal and Telegram too have the username feature. Messaging app Signal did not respond to businessline’s queries.This comes at a time when the Indian government through Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has sent WhatsApp a notice about the usernames feature it announced last week. The notice directs the company to not roll out this feature until “consultation on this point is achieved to the satisfaction of the Government“Digital advocacy organisations like the Internet Freedom Foundation has raised concerns that such a notice by the Government has no clear basis in law. “It is an attempt by the executive to decide what a company may build and ship, which no statute permits,” the IFF said in a statement on Thursday.WhatsApp also issued a FAQ on Thursday addressing concerns around impersonation, scams and unwanted contact. India is a key market for WhatsApp, and the messaging platform has over 500 million users in the country.Published on July 2, 2026