WhatsApp has banned 71 lakh Indian users in April this year for violating platform rules and policies. The company assures continued action against accounts breaching its terms to maintain a safe user environment.

WhatsApp ban was in line to curb misuse and maintain integrity of the platform. WhatsApp uses machine learning and data analytics to proactively identify and ban suspicious accounts.

Every month WhatsApp bans lakhs of Indian users who are reported for being scammers or violating the platform's privacy policies. In its latest India Monthly Report, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform revealed that it banned around 71 lakh Indian accounts between April 1, 2024, and April 30, 2024, to curb misuse and maintain platform integrity. The company has further assured that it will continue implementing more bans if users continue to violate its rules.

WhatsApp banned a total of 7,182,000 accounts between April 1 and April 30. Amongst these, 1,302,000 accounts were proactively banned before any reports from users. This proactive stance is part of WhatsApp's broader strategy to prevent abuse before it occurs. The company uses advanced machine learning and data analytics to identify suspicious behaviour patterns indicative of abuse. Notably, in April 2024, WhatsApp received 10,554 user reports on various topics, including account support, ban appeals, product support, and safety concerns.

However, only six accounts were actioned based on these reports, reflecting the stringent criteria for account action.

The bans on Indian accounts align with WhatsApp's efforts to comply with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which mandate the publication of compliance reports detailing the actions taken in response to user grievances and law violations.

The latest June 2024 report highlights WhatsApp's rigorous steps against harmful behaviour, leveraging user complaints and its in-house sophisticated detection mechanisms.