In the long negotiation between privacy and accountability, Algeria has planted a flag: the state's ability to trace who speaks must not be severed by the convenience of anonymity. On August 10, Algeria's telecommunications ministry formally notified Meta that WhatsApp accounts operating within its borders must remain anchored to locally registered phone numbers, even as the platform prepares to offer users the option to communicate through chosen handles rather than digits. The move reflects a tension that is not uniquely Algerian — it is the perennial question of whether the architecture of