Meta-owned WhatsApp has revealed that it banned over 6.5 million Indian accounts between May 1 and May 31, 2023, according to its monthly compliance report. Out of the total banned accounts, 2.4 million were proactive bans initiated by WhatsApp’s abuse detection tools, which target suspicious accounts. The abuse detection system operates at three stages: during registration, messaging, and in response to user reports and blocks.
This announcement follows WhatsApp’s ban of nearly 7.5 million Indian accounts in April 2023. Since the beginning of the year, the messaging platform has banned a total of 26.2 million Indian accounts. Additionally, WhatsApp banned 280 accounts in May after users appealed against their bans. However, it is worth noting that only around 8% of the accounts appealed were overturned.
WhatsApp is required to publish these reports under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which apply to platforms with over 5 million users. Other social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also release similar monthly reports in India.
Earlier this year, WhatsApp faced significant challenges with fraud involving international numbers that targeted Indian users. Scammers from countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, and Ethiopia exploited the trust of WhatsApp users by offering fraudulent work-from-home opportunities and tricking them into transferring money into fake accounts.
To address these issues, WhatsApp has implemented various measures. It introduced the option to automatically silence incoming calls from unknown numbers to enhance user safety. Additionally, a “Privacy Checkup” feature was introduced to educate users about the available privacy protection options on the platform.
With 2.7 billion users worldwide, including 500 million in India, WhatsApp continues to combat fraudulent activities and maintain user trust through ongoing efforts and regular transparency reports.
