New Delhi: In accordance with the new IT Rules 2021, Meta-owned WhatsApp has reported banning over 67 lakh accounts in India during the month of January. The company disclosed that out of these, approximately 13.58 lakh accounts were proactively banned, even before receiving any user reports, as stated in its monthly compliance report.
Despite being the most widely used messaging platform in the country, with over 500 million users, WhatsApp received a staggering 14,828 complaint reports in January alone. Among these reports, only 10 actions were taken, indicating either the banning of an account or the restoration of a previously banned one in response to user complaints.
WhatsApp emphasized its commitment to user safety and combating abuse on its platform. The company stated, “This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp’s own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform.”
In a move to empower Indian social media users and strengthen digital laws, the Central government has established the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) to address concerns regarding content and other issues. This panel will review appeals by users against decisions made by social media platforms.
WhatsApp reiterated its dedication to preventing and combating abuse, highlighting its team of professionals spanning engineering, data science, law enforcement, online safety, and technology development. The platform has been at the forefront of implementing end-to-end encryption and safety features.
This effort by WhatsApp follows its ban on over 69 lakh bad accounts in December last year, underscoring its ongoing commitment to ensuring a safe and secure messaging environment for its users in India.