WhatsApp Banned 19 Lakh Accounts In India In May For This Reason

Mumbai, 2nd July 2022: WhatsApp is taking a strict approach to the prevention of objectionable and sensitive content. In this sequence, WhatsApp banned more than 19 lakh accounts in May. 

WhatsApp has published the 12th edition of its Monthly Report in India in compliance with the new IT Rules 2021, in which this has been revealed. In the latest edition of the report, the company reported that it banned over 19 lakh accounts from its platform between May 1 and May 31, 2022. 

303 ban appeals received between May 1 and 31 

The messaging platform revealed that during the mentioned time period, it received a total of 303 ban appeal reports, out of which it took ‘action’ on 23 reports. The company also received a total of 149 Account Support Reports, 34 Product Safety Reports and 13 Safety Reports. It did not act on any of these reports. 

In all, WhatsApp received 528 requests between May 1 and May 31, out of which it processed only 23 reports. It also banned a total of 19,10,000 accounts from its platform during the same period. 

The company said that in addition to responding to user complaints through the Grievance channel, it also deploys “tools and resources to prevent harmful behavior on the platform”. 

WhatsApp wrote in a blog post, “We are specifically focusing on prevention because we believe it is better to stop harmful activity in the first place, not after the harm has occurred.” 

Report part of new IT rules 2021

Notably, this report is a part of the new IT Rules, as a part of which, social media platforms with more than five million subscribers are required to publish monthly compliance reports in India. 

16 lakh+ accounts were banned in April 

On the other hand, the company banned a total of 16,66,000 accounts in India between April 1, 2022 and April 30, 2022. During the same period, the company received a total of 670 ban appeals, of which 122 reports were acted upon. The company also received 90 account support requests, 34 product support requests and 13 safety requests. It did not act on any of these requests. 

In the month of April this year, the company received a total of 844 requests, out of which it processed only 123 requests.