New Delhi: In a major crackdown on abuse and harmful activities, WhatsApp banned over 9.8 million accounts in India during June, with nearly 1.98 million removed proactively before any user complaints, the company revealed in its latest India Monthly Report.
The platform said its priority remains preventing harmful activity before it occurs, supported by a three-stage abuse detection system and dedicated safety measures.
Accounts Ban over continues Complaints
In addition to account bans, WhatsApp also acted on user grievances. The company received 23,596 complaints from Indian users in June, leading to action against 1,001 accounts.
Actions included banning accounts or reinstating previously banned ones after review. Most grievances were related to ban appeals, with 16,069 such cases resulting in action against 756 accounts. Other categories included account support, product support, and safety issues.
WhatsApp said its abuse detection system operates at three stages—during account registration, while messaging, and in response to negative feedback such as user reports and blocks. The company stressed that prevention is its primary focus, as stopping harmful activity before it occurs is more effective than detecting it later.
Reaffirming its commitment to user safety, WhatsApp highlighted its use of end-to-end encryption, safety tools, and expert teams to combat abuse, misinformation, and security threats. It also works with experts to strengthen cybersecurity and protect election integrity.
Latest Upgraded Tools
Last month, WhatsApp introduced two new tools—Status Ads and Promoted Channels. According to WABetaInfo, Status Ads function like Instagram Story ads, allowing business accounts to post paid content in users’ Status updates. These ads appear between friends’ and family’s updates with a ‘Sponsored’ label for easy identification.
