WhatsApp said on Monday it had banned a record more than 6.9 million bad accounts in India as of December 2023 under the new IT Rules 2021. The company banned “6,934,000 accounts” between December 1 and 31.

WhatsApp said in its monthly compliance report that about 1,658,000 of these accounts were actively banned before any reports were made by users.

The most popular messaging platform with more than 500 million users in the country received a record 16,366 complaint reports in the country in December, with 13 “actions taken” recorded. “Accounts taken action” means reports where WhatsApp has taken remedial action based on the following: Reporting and taking action means banning the account or consequently reinstating a previously banned account.

“This user safety report contains details of user complaints received and corresponding actions taken by WhatsApp, as well as the preventive measures WhatsApp itself has taken to combat abuse on our platform,” the company said.

In a bid to empower millions of Indian social media users, the Center recently set up a Grievance Appeal Committee (GAC) to look into their concerns over content and other issues.

A newly formed panel aimed at tightening the country’s digital laws to tame Big Tech will investigate user appeals against decisions by social media platforms.

“We are the industry leader in end-to-end encrypted messaging services when it comes to preventing and combating abuse. In addition to our security features and controls, we employ a team of engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and A team of law enforcement, online security and technology development experts oversee these efforts,” WhatsApp said.

In November, WhatsApp banned more than 7.1 million bad accounts in the country.

(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by IANS, the associated news agency)