Instant messenger WhatsApp bans 36.77 lakh accounts in India in December

WhatsApp banned 36.77 lakh accounts in India in November, marginally lower than the number of accounts it barred in the preceding month. Out of 36.77 lakh accounts 13.89 lakh accounts that were barred proactively before being flagged by users.

"Between 1 December 2022 and 31 December 2022, 3,677,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned. 1,389,000 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users," WhatsApp said in its India Monthly Report for December published under the Information Technology Rules 2021.

Stringent IT rules, which came into effect last year, mandate large digital platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, mentioning the details of complaints received and action taken.