Mumbai, Aug 2
WhatsApp banned more than 98 lakh accounts in India during June, as part of its efforts to curb abuse and harmful activity on the platform, according to WhatsApp's latest India Monthly Report.
Of these, nearly 19.79 lakh accounts were banned proactively, before any user complaints were received, the report stated.
In addition to banning accounts, WhatsApp also acted on grievances received from users in India.
During the month, the platform received 23,596 complaints through its grievance mechanisms, out of which action was taken against 1,001 accounts.
These actions included banning accounts or restoring previously banned accounts after reviewing complaints.
Most complaints were related to ban appeals, with 16,069 such cases reported, leading to action on 756 accounts.
Other categories included account support, product support, and safety-related issues, as per the report.
WhatsApp said its abuse detection works at three stages -- during account registration, while messaging, and in response to negative feedback such as user reports and blocks.
The company added that prevention is its primary focus, as stopping harmful activity before it happens is more effective than detecting it afterward.
The platform emphasised its commitment to user safety, saying it uses end-to-end encryption, safety tools, and dedicated teams to fight abuse, misinformation, and security threats.
It also works with experts to promote cybersecurity and protect election integrity, the messaging platform said in the report.
Meanwhile, last month, the messaging platform has introduced two new tools - 'Status Ads' and 'Promoted Channels'.
According to WABetaInfo, these features were available to select beta users on Android.
Status Ads work like Instagram Story ads. Now, business accounts can post paid content that will show up in people's Status updates.
These ads will appear between status updates from friends and family, with a clear "sponsored" label so people can easily spot them as ads.
— IANS
Reader Comments
98 lakh accounts banned is a huge number! But I wonder how many new fake accounts are created daily? The spam never seems to stop completely 😕
Good move by WhatsApp but they should also focus on political spam during elections. Last time my family group was full of fake news forwards!
I appreciate the transparency report, but 23,596 complaints with only 1,001 actions seems low. Are they really addressing user concerns properly?
Ads in status updates? 😒 WhatsApp was the last place without ads. Now they're becoming like every other social media app. Disappointing!
Proactive banning of 19.79 lakh accounts is impressive tech! But hope they don't accidentally ban genuine users like my uncle whose account got blocked last month for no reason.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.