WhatsApp Bans Record 71 Lakh Indian Accounts In 1 Month: Here's Why

WhatsApp's user safety report outlines user complaints, the corresponding actions taken, and the platform's proactive measures to combat abuse.

In November 2023, WhatsApp implemented account restrictions on a substantial number of users in India, totalling 71 lakh accounts, as disclosed in India's monthly report under the IT Rules, 2021, published on January 1, 2024. From November 1 to 30, WhatsApp took proactive measures, banning 19,54,000 accounts before any user reported them.

The identification of Indian users on WhatsApp is based on the association with a +91 phone number. In the same month, the platform received 8,841 grievances, leading to action taken on six reported cases. Additionally, the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC), established by the Government of India to address citizen concerns on social media platforms, submitted eight reports to WhatsApp, all promptly addressed and complied with.

WhatsApp's user safety report outlines user complaints, the corresponding actions taken, and the platform's proactive measures to combat abuse. The company employs various tools and resources to prevent harmful behaviour, with detection mechanisms operating at registration, during messaging, and in response to negative feedback. Upon receiving user reports, a team of analysts evaluates each case to determine the necessity of strict actions, including permanent account bans.

Furthermore, WhatsApp has introduced a visual feature reminiscent of Instagram's Stories, part of its Meta family. The modification is geared towards enhancing the user interaction with status updates, as initially disclosed by WABetaInfo testers.

WhatsApp users on both iOS and Android platforms will now find a designated Updates tab, facilitating the sharing of ephemeral status updates and providing access to long-term updates from subscribed Channels. Ephemeral status updates, a longstanding feature, enable users to effortlessly share various content, including links, text, images, and videos with multiple contacts. The viewers of these status updates can respond by swiping up to utilise emojis or by sending a complete message.

A noteworthy change has been observed by users who have updated to the WhatsApp beta version 2.2.26.3 on Android. Specifically, a new Reply bar is consistently displayed at the bottom of the screen during the viewing of status updates. This modification replaces the previous swipe-up gesture for initiating a reply, aligning WhatsApp more closely with Instagram Stories. A similar alteration has been noted in the iOS version (v23.15.10.72) among beta testers.