WhatsApp banned around 23 lakh Indian accounts in October

WhatsApp banned more than 23 lakh Indian accounts in October, following user safety guidelines as per Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The messaging platform published its monthly user security report and revealed that between October 1 and 31, 2022, 2,324,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned after receiving complaints from users.

Out of 23 lakh accounts, WhatsApp proactively banned 811,000 Indian accounts before receiving user complaints. The accounts were banned because they did not comply with the platform's policies and rules.

WhatsApp, in its report, cited that accounts were banned from receiving complaint reports from Indian users through WhatsApp's complaint mechanisms. The instant messaging app received 701 complaint reports in the month and took action on 34 accounts.

The report further mentioned that the platform is always dedicated to providing a safe space for its users. It has established rules and guidelines to prevent abuse and offers end-to-end encrypted messaging services for the security and privacy of users. "Over the years, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state-of-the-art technology, data scientists and experts, and processes to keep our users safe on our platform. In accordance with the IT Rules 2021," says WhatsApp.

How to report WhatsApp accounts?

You can send your complaint to WhatsApp support about malicious accounts by emailing "wa@support.whatsapp.com" and mentioning your problems with the account. You need to share the screenshot as proof of your reason for reporting the user. You can also report a WhatsApp account by going to WhatsApp chat > Tap More options > More > Report. You can choose to inform the user or block their account.