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New Delhi: Taking action against suspicious accounts in India, WhatsApp banned 36.77 lakh accounts in December 2022, with the number being marginally lower than for those that faced action (37.16 lakh) in the preceding month. The banned WhatsApp accounts in India include 13.89 lakh accounts which were barred proactively before being flagged by users.
In December, WhatsApp banned 37.16 lakh accounts in the country, including 9.9 lakh accounts which were barred proactively.WhatsApp said,“Between 1 December, 2022, and 31 December, 2022, as many as 36,77,000 accounts were banned. 13,89,000 of these were proactively banned, before any reports from users.”
In December, it received 1,607 appeals from users, a jump of 70% from the 946 complaints made to it in the previous month, WhatsApp further said. Of these 1,607 complaints, 1,459 (91%) sought blocking of accounts, it added.
Under the IT Rules 2021, WhatsApp has said in its December 2022 report that it has banned 3,677,000 accounts between December 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Of these, 13,89000 accounts were banned even before users reported them. Indian account is identified by +91 number.On the other hand, in November 2022, the number of accounts banned proactively, stood at 90,000.
The Meta-owned platform disclosed the December 2022 figures in its India Monthly Report. In 2021, the government implemented new IT rules, according to which digital platforms with more than 50 lakh users will have to submit their public compliance report every month. In this, the platform will have to tell how many complaints it has received in a month and what action has been taken for the same.
WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide, with India being one of its largest user base. In February 2021, the Government of India said WhatsApp is used by more than 53 crore Indians, making it the most used social media service in the country.
