Here's why WhatsApp reveals the number of accounts banned each month
1 min read . Updated: 02 Feb 2023, 11:35 AM IST
PremiumIn December, 36.77 lakh lakh accounts in India were banned by WhatsApp.
In December, WhatsApp banned 36.77 lakh accounts in India, a slight decrease from the previous month's total. 13.89 lakh of the blocked WhatsApp accounts in India were blocked proactively before being reported by users.
In November, 37.16 lakh accounts in India were banned by WhatsApp, including 9.9 lakh accounts that were proactively blocked.
"Between 1 December 2022 and 31 December 2022, 3,677,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned. 1,389,000 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users," WhatsApp said in its India Monthly Report for December.
Large social media companies have faced criticism in the past for the fake news, hate speech, and disinformation that circulated on their platforms. Concerns about digital platforms acting arbitrarily in removing information and "de-platforming" people have often been raised by some sectors.
Three grievance appeal panels were announced by the government last week, and starting on March 1 they will review user complaints against the major social media sites. When compared to November, when there were 946 complaints from WhatsApp users, the number of appeals in December increased by approximately 70% to 1,607, including an appeal to ban 1,459 accounts. WhatsApp only responded to 166 appeals.
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Except in situations when a complaint is regarded to be a duplicate of an earlier ticket, WhatsApp said it replies to every complaint received. When an account is banned or a previously banned account is reinstated as a result of a complaint, it is said to have been "actioned". WhatsApp uses tools and resources to stop harmful behaviour on the network in addition to responding to and acting upon user concerns through the grievance channel.
Why WhatsApp reveals the number of accounts banned each month
Large digital platforms with more than 50 lakh users are required by the stricter IT regulations, which went into force in 2022, to post compliance reports each month that include information about complaints received and actions taken.
(With agency inputs)
