Digital fraud prevention and online safety have emerged as top priorities for Indian IT companies. A formidable challenge is presented by the large volume of users and the development in sophisticated schemes. The immensely popular messaging service WhatsApp banned an astounding 22.31 million accounts in India alone in the first three months of 2024.
This enormous number of bans indicates an almost twofold increase in comparison to the same January–March period in 2023, highlighting the growing conflict against those attempting to use WhatsApp for illicit activities. The activities done and the laws that permit them are made clear in the company’s monthly transparency reports.
WhatsApp enforced these account restrictions in compliance with Indian IT rules and regulations, specifically focusing on sections related to intermediaries’ due diligence and adherence to ethical principles. The legal basis was specifically established by Rule 4(1)(d) and Rule 3A(7) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
Before any users complained, WhatsApp proactively identified and deactivated a large number of the problematic accounts. However, its systems also handled complaints that users reported as infractions. Furthermore, the Grievance Appellate Committee (GAC) prescribed specific prohibitions.
An analysis of the quarter’s data reveals a worrying trend of increasing abuse. 1.36 million of the 6.73 million accounts that were banned in January did so voluntarily. Of the 7.63 million suspensions in February, 1.42 million were proactive. Additionally, 7.95 million accounts were deleted in March, 1.43 million of which were deactivated beforehand.
Hate speech, harassment, fraud, and the spread of false information were the primary offences. All of them constituted egregious breaches of WhatsApp’s terms of service and platform policies, which are designed to protect users’ privacy and safety. India is the biggest market for WhatsApp globally, with over 530 million active users monthly, which makes it a tempting target for online fraudsters.
WhatsApp has asked users to familiarise themselves with the “Acceptable Use of Our Services” standards in order to tackle this issue head-on. It has also placed a strong emphasis on reporting unauthorised access attempts quickly and strengthening account security. Coordination between businesses, consumers, and authorities will be essential as digital platforms implement sophisticated detection systems and improve monitoring.