Instant messaging platform WhatsApp announced Wednesday that it had suspended 36.77 lakh accounts in India in December, slightly down from the number of accounts it had suspended the previous month. Banned WhatsApp accounts in India include 13.89 lakh accounts that were proactively banned before being flagged by users.
In November, Whatsapp 37.16 million accounts suspended in the country, including 9.9 million accounts proactively suspended.
“Between December 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022, 3,677,000 WhatsApp accounts were suspended. 1,389,000 of those accounts were proactively suspended before any reports were received from users,” WhatsApp said in its India monthly report released for December under the Information Technology Rules 2021.
The stricter IT rules that came into force last year oblige large digital platforms (with over 50,000 users) to publish compliance reports every month detailing the complaints received and the 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 three Complaints Appeals Boards that will handle user complaints against the major social media companies from March 1.
Appeals from WhatsApp users rose about 70 percent to 1,607 in December, including appeals to suspend 1,459 accounts, compared to 946 complaints in November.
The instant messaging company only took action on 166 appeals.
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 restored, 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.
