WhatsApp User : WhatsApp releases its user safety report every month. The report includes the number of accounts banned by the platform in the following month, grievances reports received from users and more. The Meta-owned platform recently shared its user safety report revealing that more than 45 lakh Indian accounts were banned on WhatsApp in February 2023.
WhatsApp has banned these accounts of Indian users in compliance with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The latest report from the Meta-owned instant messaging platform reveals that it has banned over 4,597,400 of Indian users between January 1 – February 28, 2023.
The accounts were banned in response to grievances received from users in India. WhatsApp took action against these accounts using its prevention and detection methods for violating Indian laws or WhatsApp’s Terms of Service. The report further states that out of the 4,597,400 banned accounts, around 1,298,000 were banned proactively by WhatsApp before receiving any reports from users.
In its monthly report, WhatsApp further details that it received 2,804 complaint reports. Out of which, 12,548 ban appeals were made but WhatsApp took action against only 495. In addition, the platform also received 14 safety-related reports from which action was taken against 2 accounts.
WhatsApp also clarifies that, for some reports, it has not blocked users after review because-
- The user requires assistance from us to access their account.
- The user requires assistance to use one of our features.
- The user is writing to us to provide feedback regarding our service.
- The user requests restoration of a banned account and the request is denied.
- The reported account does not violate the laws of India or our Terms of Service.
Notably, in February, WhatsApp blocked doubled the number of users compared to the previous month. In January, WhatsApp banned 2,918,000 accounts, but in February, the platform banned 16,79,400 more accounts.
“WhatsApp is an industry leader in preventing abuse, among end-to-end encrypted messaging services. Over the years, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state of the art technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform. In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, we’ve published our report for February 2023,” said the official spokesperson by WhatsApp.
“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. As captured in the latest Monthly Report, WhatsApp banned over 4.5 million accounts in February,” it further added
According to Statista, WhatsApp has the highest number of users in India with more than 487 million active users. And the user number is rising at a rate of 16.6% every year. So, to create a safe platform for the users, the instant messaging app offers end-to-end encryption between the chats so that the messages are safe between the sender and the receiver. In addition, it also offers a slew of features like the block and report option, so that users can report any account if they find it violating the rules of the platform, like spamming or harassing them.
How to report accounts on WhatsApp
To file a report for any account on WhatsApp that you feel violates WhatsApp’s terms and conditions or your safety, you can submit your report by going to WhatsApp Settings > tap Help > Contact Us.
If you want to escalate your issue to reach the grievance officer in India, you can send an email with your complaint or concern and sign it with your electronic signature. Ensure you include your phone number in the full international format, including the country code.
The Grievance Office can also be contacted via post at the following address:
Siddhartha Nahar
Attention: Grievance Officer
WhatsApp, LLC
Unit B8 and B10
The Executive Center
Level 18, DLF Cyber City, Building No. 5, Tower A, Phase III
Gurgaon – 122002
India
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