WhatsApp bans over 70 lakh Indian accounts in September

WhatsApp has recently banned over 70 lakh Indian accounts during the month of September, in compliance with India's IT rules. This was revealed in the recent monthly report released by WhatsApp, which states that a total of 71,11,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned between September 1 and September 30, 2023.

As per the report, 25.7 lakh accounts were proactively banned even before any reports were made by users. The report, which sheds light on user safety, outlines the specifics of complaints received from users and the corresponding actions taken by WhatsApp, along with the platform's proactive measures to combat abuse within its ecosystem.

During this period, WhatsApp received a total of 10,442 user reports spanning various categories, including account support, ban appeal, other support, product support, and safety concerns. Out of these reports, 85 accounts were actioned based on the complaints received.

The report also highlighted that WhatsApp complied with all six orders it received from the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) in September. These orders were promptly adhered to as per the platform's commitment to follow regulatory directives.

WhatsApp clarified that 'Accounts Actioned' refers to reports where remedial action was taken, either by banning an account or by restoring a previously banned account based on user complaints. Additionally, reports might have been reviewed but not included as 'Actioned' for various reasons, such as user assistance requirements or requests for account restoration that did not comply with Indian laws or WhatsApp's Terms of Service.

The platform emphasised that safety-related grievances primarily revolve around issues related to abuse or harmful behaviour observed on the platform. WhatsApp assured users that all grievances are addressed unless they are deemed duplicates of previous tickets.

This latest report follows WhatsApp's ban on 74 lakh accounts in August, with 35 lakh accounts being proactively banned at that time. According to WhatsApp, an Indian account is identified via a +91 phone number.