The Meta-owned platform WhatsApp has published its September 2023 user safety report. The company’s activities in India during this time, carried out in compliance with the nation’s IT laws, are highlighted in the report. Notably, 7.11 million accounts in India were impacted by WhatsApp’s actions during the month, targeting a sizable number of accounts. 2.57 million of these accounts were proactively banned by WhatsApp prior to any user reports being submitted, demonstrating the platform’s dedication to upholding safety and legality.
Identifying Indian Accounts with ‘+91’ Country Code
WhatsApp made a clear statement about its attempts to ensure regional compliance when it identified Indian accounts based on the country code “+91.” A total of 7,111,000 WhatsApp accounts were barred, and 2,571,000 of these were banned proactively, according to the official report, which covers the period from September 1 to September 30, 2023.
Insights into User Complaints and Actions Taken
The “user-safety report” that WhatsApp provides provides insightful information about user complaints and the platform’s following steps to stop misuse and misconduct. The Grievance Appellate Committee sent six directions to WhatsApp in September, and the business complied with each and every one of them.
Comparative Data from August
WhatsApp has taken action against 7.4 million Indian accounts in the previous month, August, with 3.5 million of those accounts being proactively banned. According to the most recent report, 10,442 user reports in a variety of categories were received by WhatsApp. These included safety (127), product support (370), ban appeals (7,396), other support (1,518), and account support (1,031).
Account Action: Responding to User Reports
85 accounts were affected by the actions WhatsApp made in response to the reports it received. It’s crucial to realise that “Accounts Actioned” denotes situations in which WhatsApp took corrective action in response to issues that were reported. In response to user complaints, these steps may entail either banning an account or restoring a previously banned account.
Exclusion of Certain Reports
WhatsApp stated unequivocally that for a variety of reasons, some reports were examined but not marked as “Actioned.” These included circumstances in which users needed help accessing their accounts or using particular features, requests from users to have banned accounts restored that were turned down, or scenarios in which the reported account did not breach WhatsApp’s terms of service or Indian laws.
Focus on Safety-Related Grievances
The report highlights WhatsApp’s dedication to tackling issues that may jeopardise user safety and well-being by emphasising that “Safety related grievances” relate to problems including abuse or destructive behaviour on the network.