Meta-owned WhatsApp announced on Saturday that it banned more than 7.1 million accounts in India in April for violating local laws. Out of the 7,182,000 banned accounts, 1,302,000 were proactively blocked before any user reports, according to a company statement.
Meta has taken action over the accounts found violating its privacy policies.
The messaging platform, which boasts over 550 million users in India, received 10,554 grievances from users in April, of which only six were "actioned"—meaning remedial action was taken by WhatsApp.
Will take more action, if rules violated: WhatsApp
In its monthly compliance report, filed in accordance with the new Indian IT Rules 2021, WhatsApp noted it had also complied with two orders from India’s Grievance Appellate Committee.
"We will continue with transparency to our work and include information about our efforts in future reports," said the company. The platform has iterated that it will continue to take action against users violating its privacy rules.
79 lakh accounts banned in March
In comparison, WhatsApp banned over 7.9 million accounts in India in March. The platform received a record 12,782 complaint reports that month, with 11 records "actioned."
The company employs a diverse team of engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and experts in law enforcement, online safety, and technology developments to oversee these efforts.
"We enable users to block contacts and to report problematic content and contacts to us from inside the app. We pay close attention to user feedback and engage with specialists in stemming misinformation, promoting cybersecurity, and preserving election integrity," WhatsApp stated.
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