WhatsApp implemented bans on over 7.1 million accounts in India during November of the previous year. The surge in online scams, where fraudsters often used WhatsApp to contact victims, prompted the Indian government to intervene and urge the company to take action against such fraudulent activities.
According to recent reports, WhatsApp disclosed that it imposed a record-breaking ban on over 7.1 million suspicious accounts in India in adherence to the new IT Rules 2021. The bans occurred throughout November 2023, with the company proactively taking action on 1,954,000 accounts even before receiving any user reports, as outlined in its monthly compliance report.
Being the most widely used messaging platform in India with a user base exceeding 500 million, WhatsApp handled 8,841 complaint reports during November. The term “accounts actioned” refers to instances where WhatsApp took corrective measures based on these reports, including either banning an account or reinstating a previously banned account.
WhatsApp’s user-safety report also provided insights into user complaints received, detailing the corresponding actions taken by the platform. The report highlighted WhatsApp’s preventive measures aimed at curbing abuse on its platform, including the introduction of the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC). This committee is tasked with addressing concerns raised by millions of Indian social media users regarding content and other issues, handling appeals from users contesting decisions made by social media platforms.
WhatsApp reiterated its commitment to preventing and combating abuse, emphasizing the involvement of a dedicated team of professionals, including engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and experts in law enforcement, online safety, and technology development.
In a related development, a significant change is set to impact WhatsApp users on Android this year. Users will no longer be able to backup their chats for free on Google Drive. For years, Google provided users with the convenience of backing up WhatsApp conversations on Google Drive without affecting their 15GB of free data allowance. However, this is set to change, with WhatsApp chat backups starting to contribute to users’ Google Drive storage limits in the first half of the year. This alteration means that users relying on the free 15GB quota of Google Drive to safeguard their conversations will need to consider investing in additional storage through WhatsApp with Google One.
This strategic move aligns Android practices with the storage limitations already present in iPhone’s iCloud. Google One, the term for subscription plans associated with Google Drive, offers three main plans on a monthly or annual basis. The changes in chat backup storage underscore the evolving landscape of cloud storage and the need for users to adapt to new policies impacting their data management practices.
