WhatsApp, owned by Meta, revealed in its latest report that it banned 71.1 lakh (7.11 million) accounts in India during September to comply with IT rules. Among these, 25.7 lakh (2.57 million) accounts were proactively banned without any user reports. Indian accounts are identified by the country code ‘+91’.
The report, called the ‘user-safety report’, provides details about user complaints and the actions taken by WhatsApp to combat abuse on the platform. During September, WhatsApp received 10,442 user reports covering various issues like account support, ban appeal, and safety concerns. Based on these reports, 85 accounts faced action from WhatsApp.
WhatsApp’s Measures: Ensuring Safety and Compliance with Indian Regulations
WhatsApp clarified that “Accounts Actioned” refers to cases where remedial action was taken based on the reported issue. This action could involve either banning an account or restoring a previously banned account, depending on the nature of the complaint.
Some reports might have been reviewed but not included as ‘Actioned’ for various reasons, such as user assistance requests or account restoration requests that do not violate Indian laws or WhatsApp’s Terms of Service. The report also mentioned that WhatsApp responds to all grievances received, except in cases where a complaint is considered a duplicate of a previous ticket.
In August, WhatsApp had banned 74 lakh accounts in India, with 35 lakh of them being proactively banned. During September, the platform received six orders from the Grievance Appellate Committee, and WhatsApp complied with all six orders. These actions are part of WhatsApp’s efforts to maintain user safety and combat misuse on its platform as per the guidelines outlined in India’s IT rules.
