In August 2023, WhatsApp banned 74 lakh accounts in India. Central I.T. WhatsApp stated this in the monthly report as per the law. The report contains information on complaints received from users in India, actions taken against accounts violating rules and terms, and orders received from the Grievances Appellate Committee, along with the number of banned accounts.In its monthly report, WhatsApp revealed that 35 lakh accounts were banned before any reporting or complaints were received from users. “Between August 1 and August 31, a total of 7,420,748 WhatsApp accounts were banned. 3,506,905 accounts were banned before receiving complaints from users. According to the report, this type of action was taken against misuse of WhatsApp.
WhatsApp’s action comes at a time when online fraud cases are increasing day by day in India. Every day, cases of online fraud, including through WhatsApp, are being reported across the country. WhatsApp issues the Monthly India Report in accordance with Rule 4(1)(d) and Rule 3A(7) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Ethics) Rules, 2021. WhatsApp’s action comes after reviewing all reports submitted by users. Last May, WhatsApp banned more than 65 lakh Indian users.