WhatsApp bans 2 Million accounts per month: Compliance report under New IT Rules

WhatsApp can temporarily or permanently ban the mobile numbers of users who violate its terms of service. The company, in a report on July 15 showcased that it banned 2.01 million accounts from May 15- June 15. In line with the New IT Rules, the company published its first compliance report. The company said that it banned a total of 2,011,000 accounts with WhatsApp’s abuse detection approach. In fact, WhatsApp bans approx. 2 million accounts every month, it has previously stated.

“WhatsApp has advanced machine learning technology that works around the clock to identify and ban accounts engaging in bulk or automated messaging so they can’t be used to spread misinformation. Through this approach, WhatsApp bans 2 million accounts per month, 75 percent of them without a recent user report,” it said. In the said month, the company received 345 reports of grievances in total, of which it has banned 63 accounts.

Why did WhatsApp publish its “first-ever” compliance report?

Under the New IT Rules, the government has mandated that social media companies hire a chief compliance officer. He/She will be responsible for ensuring the company's compliance with the acts and rules. The person should be a resident of India, as per the rules. Furthermore, the government has asked concerned platforms to appoint a nodal contact person for 24×7 coordination with law enforcement agencies. This individual, too, shall be a resident of India.

The social media platform should also provide a monthly compliance report. It should mention all details of complaints and their actions by these companies. It should also have details of contents removed proactively by any social media.

The company already appointed Paresh Lal as the Grievance Officer. You can contact him through mail, or post. It was only due that the company submits a compliance report too. Despite the legal bickering between the company and the government, WhatsApp has submitted its compliance report.

Read More: 5 Points You Need To Know About the WhatsApp vs Indian Government Row

Here's how you can get WhatsApp Bans “unbanned”:

If WhatsApp bans have wrongly affected you, you can always reach out to the company. You cannot reverse a permanent ban unless WhatsApp bans you “by mistake”. Further, the only option a user has upon facing a permanent ban is to write to contact support stating valid reasons as to why their account must be unbanned. Other cases of Temporary WhatsApp bans include the use of apps that Facebook or WhatsApp does not support - GB WhatsApp, WhatsApp Plus, etc. You can move on from these non-WhatsApp apps to WhatsApp Messenger and apply for account restoration.

Lastly, it is good to practice the WhatsApp Safety Terms of Services - not spamming, no obscenity, no impersonation of others, no illegally modifying the app or its code - so that the app does not ban you.