WhatsApp bans 1 cr numbers a month, govt wary

New Delhi: The government is concerned that WhatsApp has banned an average 9.8 million Indian accounts a month till October this year for various violations and is discussing with the platform how widespread misuse of Indian numbers can be stopped, said people with knowledge of the matter. The messaging company's policy of not sharing details of the corresponding mobile numbers is impeding the government's efforts to check spam and cyber fraud and is in discussions with the platform, officials said.The Meta-owned platform, for which India is the largest market, publishes monthly reports that say how many accounts have been banned for violating its terms of service. Its action is based on behavioural signals indicative of policy violations, which include possible involvement in scams.Lack of TransparencyWhatsApp identifies India accounts with the +91 country code.Officials told ET that in many instances, the mobile numbers banned by WhatsApp shift to other platforms such as Telegram and are involved in fraudulent activity.Misuse of Indian mobile numbers by perpetrators, both inside and outside the country, is a major concern for the government and persists despite various measures being taken against such fraudsters. In most instances, scammers use over-the-top (OTT) apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. Since these apps can work without a SIM card once an account is opened using a mobile number, it becomes impossible for agencies to track down the fraudsters, according to officials. 126128369 They said 95% of cases of digital arrests and impersonation are happening on WhatsApp.“There are concerns around how Indian numbers are being used (by fraudsters) and we are addressing those issues,” one of them said. “We have to balance convenience against security implications.”Finding out when a SIM used for opening such an account was issued and checking if the know-your-customer (KYC) details were genuine or fake is key to checking such frauds, the official said.“We are talking to WhatsApp and other OTTs as to how to deal with this problem,” he added.WhatsApp did not respond to queries.The government also asks WhatsApp and other platforms to ban certain accounts that are found to be involved in scams or other illegal activities. As per the Department of Telecommunications, till November this year, nearly 2.9 million WhatsApp profiles and groups have been disengaged on government directions.While details of accounts removed on government directions are known, there is no transparency when WhatsApp bans accounts on its own, officials said. It publishes how many accounts were banned without providing further details.“As WhatsApp does not coordinate with respective authorities concerning the banned accounts, there is no clarity as to what numbers have been banned,” another government official said. “We don’t want any private details of the person, just the numbers which have been banned, so that it can be checked if the number is genuine or not.”Focus on accountabilityHe said the platform should provide a breakup of the numbers banned, so that it becomes clear as to which numbers have been blocked for scams.“The whole intent of initiating this monthly compliance report and sharing it with the public was meant to bring in transparency and accountability of the platforms,” said Rakesh Maheshwari, a former senior director with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), who handled cyber law and data governance. “Now, if there are certain revelations which require deeper introspection, the government has further right to seek more information.”WhatsApp has maintained that since it uses end-to-end encryption, enforcement actions are based on platform-specific behavioural signals and sharing of granular account data involves significant technical, legal and cross-jurisdictional complexities.“There are a number of aspects concerning banning of accounts and not all are security aspects. Some of them are based on complaints. However, sometimes they refuse to share details, which is a security concern,” said a third official.