More than 7.5 million WhatsApp accounts were prohibited in India within a single month

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, WhatsApp has published its monthly report detailing actions taken to address user complaints and violations of Indian laws or WhatsApp’s Terms of Service. This report encompasses the timeframe from October 1, 2023, to October 31, 2023.

The report from Meta’s instant messaging platform outlines the procedures for detecting misuse at various stages of an account’s lifecycle and underscores the company’s dedication to prevention. During this period, WhatsApp deactivated a total of 7,548,000 accounts in India, with 1,919,000 of these accounts being preemptively deactivated before any user complaints were made.

According to the messaging platform, the section addressing user complaints offers insights into the nature of grievances received and the corresponding actions taken.

Reportedly, WhatsApp received a total of 9,063 reports during the reporting period. The majority of these reports pertained to “Ban appeal” (4,771), while others covered categories such as “Account support,” “Other support,” “Product support,” and “Safety.” Out of the total reports, action was taken on 12 accounts, resulting in bans or account restorations based on the nature of the complaint.

Additionally, the report highlights the directives received from the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), revealing that WhatsApp received five orders during the same period and complied with all of them.

Recalling the period from September 1, 2023, to September 30, 2023, a total of 7,111,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned. Among these, 2,571,000 accounts were proactively banned before any user reports were filed, as indicated in the WhatsApp report.

During September, as per the report, the platform received six orders from the Grievance Appellate Committee, all of which were duly adhered to.

Furthermore, WhatsApp noted the receipt of 10,442 user reports across various categories in September, encompassing account support (1,031), ban appeal (7,396), other support (1,518), product support (370), and safety (127).