In a significant development in regulatory compliance, WhatsApp recently implemented a ban on over 85 lakh accounts belonging to Indian users during the month of September. This measure, executed by Meta’s instant messaging platform, was documented in the company’s monthly compliance report submitted in accordance with the provisions of the Information Technology Rules (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) 2021.

In its report, WhatsApp revealed that 16.58 lakh accounts were proactively banned, indicating that these measures were taken regardless of user reports. The report also states that WhatsApp received a total of 8,161 complaints in the same month, resulting in action being taken in 97 of these cases. Furthermore, the company noted compliance with two directives issued by the grievance appeal committee.

IT rules 2021

As required by the new IT Rules 2021, all social media platforms operating in India with a user base of more than 50,000 must publish a monthly compliance report. This report is necessary to elucidate the account cases reported by users, the actions taken by the platform and the details of any guidance provided by the grievance appeal committee.

In its statement, WhatsApp highlighted its commitment to transparency and user safety, saying it gives users features to block contacts and report potentially harmful content directly through the app. The company reiterated its commitment to heeding user feedback while working to mitigate the spread of misinformation, strengthen cybersecurity measures, and maintain the integrity of election processes.

It is worth noting that as of August, WhatsApp had previously banned around 84.58 lakh accounts, of which 16.61 lakh were proactively banned. Recent feature enhancements, including the introduction of a custom list feature, have been made available to users, facilitating better management of contacts and group communications.

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