Instant messaging platform WhatsApp said Wednesday it blocked 37.16 lakh accounts in India in November, about 60 percent more than the accounts it blocked the previous month.
The forbidden Whatsapp Accounts in India include 9.9 lakh accounts that were proactively suspended before being flagged by users.
As of October, WhatsApp had banned 23.24,000 accounts in the country, including 8.11,000 accounts that were proactively banned.
“Between November 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022, 3,716,000 WhatsApp accounts were suspended. 990,000 of these accounts were proactively suspended before reports were received from users. An Indian account is identified via a +91 phone number”, WhatsApp said in its India Monthly Report for November, published under Information Technology Rules 2021.
The tightened IT rules that came into force last year are asking a lot digital platforms (with over 50,000 users) to publish compliance reports each month detailing complaints received and actions taken.
Big social media Companies have faced criticism in the past for hate speech, misinformation and fake news circulating on their platforms. Concerns have been raised by some quarters that digital platforms are indiscriminately pulling down content and de-platforming users.
The government last week announced rules for establishing a grievance mechanism against arbitrary content moderation, inaction, or takedown decisions by major tech companies.
WhatsApp received a higher number of user appeals to suspend accounts in November than in October.
In November, 946 complaints were received from users, including calls for 830 accounts to be suspended. It only went against 73 accounts.
WhatsApp said it responds to all complaints received, except in cases where a complaint is considered a duplicate of a previous ticket.
An account will be “processed” if it’s suspended as a result of a complaint or if a previously suspended account is reinstated, the report said.
In addition to responding to and handling user complaints through the complaints channel, WhatsApp employs tools and resources to prevent harmful behavior on the platform, the report said.
