The Day WhatsApp Goes Darkxn--gckvb8fzb.com 7 pointsfigmert1 month ago1 commentSaveHideCopy link On HNComments−1vuio0pswjnm71moMaybe it's one reason WhatsApp is now encouraging "usernames" in lieu of phone numbersRemove/hide contact information so that users cannot easily contact each other without going through the third party, MetaFacebook did this many years agoFor example, imagine the user knows WhatsApp is going offline or the user gets tired using of WhatsAppIf the user can easily extract or save a list of her contacts' phone numbers then the user can maintain contact with them without WhatsAppOtherwise the user may believe leaving WhatsApp would mean the user would lose touch with some/all the user's WhatsApp contacts
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Maybe it's one reason WhatsApp is now encouraging "usernames" in lieu of phone numbers
Remove/hide contact information so that users cannot easily contact each other without going through the third party, Meta
Facebook did this many years ago
For example, imagine the user knows WhatsApp is going offline or the user gets tired using of WhatsApp
If the user can easily extract or save a list of her contacts' phone numbers then the user can maintain contact with them without WhatsApp
Otherwise the user may believe leaving WhatsApp would mean the user would lose touch with some/all the user's WhatsApp contacts