WhatsApp bans over 98 lakh accounts in India over abuse concerns

Mumbai: WhatsApp banned more than 98 lakh accounts in India in June as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle abuse and harmful activities on the platform, according to the company’s latest India Monthly Report.

Of the total bans, approximately 19.79 lakh accounts were removed proactively without receiving any user complaints, underscoring the platform’s preventive approach. In addition to these proactive actions, WhatsApp also addressed grievances submitted by users in India through its complaint mechanism.

During the month, the platform received 23,596 user complaints. Action was taken against 1,001 accounts based on these complaints, which included both the banning of new accounts and the reinstatement of previously banned ones after review.

The majority of user complaints, 16,069, were related to ban appeals. Of these, 756 accounts saw further action. Other complaint categories involved account support, product support, and safety concerns.

WhatsApp stated that its abuse detection system functions across three stages: during account registration, while users are messaging, and in response to negative feedback such as user reports and blocks. The company highlighted that prevention remains a key focus, aiming to stop abuse before it occurs rather than simply reacting to it later.

Reaffirming its commitment to user safety, WhatsApp said it relies on end-to-end encryption, in-built safety tools, and dedicated internal teams to combat abuse, misinformation, and security threats. The company also collaborates with experts to strengthen cybersecurity and safeguard election integrity.

In a separate development, WhatsApp recently introduced two new features, ‘Status Ads’ and ‘Promoted Channels’, aimed at business users. According to WABetaInfo, these features were rolled out to select beta users on Android.

‘Status Ads’ function similarly to Instagram Story ads, allowing business accounts to publish paid content within users’ Status updates. These ads are clearly marked as “sponsored” and will appear between regular updates from friends and family.

With IANS inputs

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