Meta-Owned Whatsapp Bans Record Over 76 Lakh Accounts

New Delhi: Meta-owned WhatsApp announced on Monday that it had banned more than 76 lakh accounts in India in February, in compliance with the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

During the period from February 1 to 29, 7,628,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned, with 1,424,000 of these accounts being proactively banned before any user reports, as stated in the company's monthly compliance report.

The messaging platform, with over 500 million users in the country, received a record 16,618 complaint reports in February, with 22 actions taken in response.

Accounts Actioned" refers to reports where WhatsApp took remedial action based on the report, which could either result in banning an account or restoring a previously banned account.

"We address all grievances received unless they are deemed duplicates of previous tickets. An account is 'actioned' when it is either banned or a previously banned account is restored due to a complaint," the company explained.

During January 1-31, the company had banned "6,728,000 accounts," with about 1,358,000 of these being proactively banned before user reports.

WhatsApp highlighted that in addition to safety features and controls, they have a team comprising engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and experts in law enforcement, online safety, and technology to oversee these efforts.