WhatsApp has banned over 23 lakh Indian accounts in the month of October, following users' safety guidelines in accordance with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The instant messaging platform released its users safety monthly report and revealed that between October 1- October 31, 2022, 2,324,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned after receiving complaints from the users.
Out of 23 lakh accounts, WhatsApp banned 811,000 Indian accounts proactively before receiving user complaints. The accounts were banned as they were non-compliant to policies and rules of the platform.
WhatsApp in its report cited that the accounts were banned receiving complaint reports from Indian users via WhatsApp's grievance mechanisms. The instant messaging app received 701 grievance reports in the month and took action on 34 of the accounts.
The report further mentioned that the platform is always dedicated to provide a safe space for its users. It has laid down rules and guidelines to prevent abuse and is offering end-to-end encrypted messaging services for users safety and privacy. "Over the years, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state of the art technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform. In accordance with the IT Rules 2021,"says WhatsApp
WhatsApp bans users if they receive multiple complaints about spam messages or if a user is found to be violating conditions laid by the platform. The platform also advises everyone to refrain from spamming or messaging unknown contacts if they don't want to get blocked or reported by other users.
WhatsApp also noted that in order to detect spam or fraudulent users, it uses automated methods. The abuse detention of the platform works on three stages of an account- lifestyle: at registration, during messaging, and in response to negative feedback. WhatsApp receives user complaints and reports in the form of user reports and blocks.
Then the team of analysts augment these systems to evaluate edge cases and help improve our effectiveness over time.
You can drop your complaint to WhatsApp support about the malicious accounts via mail to "wa@support.whatsapp.com," and mention the issues they have with the account. You will have to share the screenshot as proof of your reason for reporting to the user. You can also report a WhatsApp account by going to WhatsApp chat > Tap More options > More > Report. You can select between reporting the user or blocking their account.
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