As per the data revealed by India’s monthly report under the IT Rules, 2021, Meta owned WhatsApp has now implemented an account ban on over 71 lakh users in India as of November 2023.
WhatsApp Proactively Blocks Over 71 Lakh Accounts in India, Addresses Grievances Swiftly
Within a period of 30 days of November, as many as 71,96,000 accounts were banned, out of which 19,54,000 accounts being proactively banned by the company before any user reports were filed.
It is through the +91 phone number that the instant messaging giant uses to authenticate the Indian users. It was during the same month that the platform received as many as 8841 grievances, eventually resulting in action on 6 of the reported cases.
In addition to this, Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) submitted 8 reports. GAC is a Government of India established entity whose job is to address the concerns that are raised by Indian citizens on various social media platforms. All these 8 reports were addressed promptly by WhatsApp.
Proactive Measures, Multi-Tiered Approach, and Enhanced Security Features
Comprehensive details like user complaints and the corresponding actions taken by WhatsApp are included in user safety report. This is all a part of the platform’s proactive measures to combat abuse.
In order to address abuse, WhatsApp employs a multi-tiered approach which entails detection at registration, during messaging as well as the one in response to negative feedback. When an account is reported by a user, a team of analysts then assess the situation to determine what suitable actions, if any stringent action like permanent ban is necessary.
Various security features have been introduced by WhatsApp, all year round, in order to bolster user privacy as well as safety. Other noteworthy features include the end-to-end encryption, the ability to mute unknown numbers, and a chat lock, collectively contributing to WhatsApp’s reputation as a private and secure cross-platform messaging service.
