There was a drop in the number of WhatsApp accounts banned in February 2022 (1,426,000) as compared to January 2021 (1,858,000), according to the platform's compliance report. This is the third time that WhatsApp has banned fewer than two million accounts since July 2021 when it first started publishing periodic compliance reports in accordance with the IT Rules, 2021. These accounts were banned based on WhatsApp's detection of 'abusive' accounts with the help of digital tools. WhatsApp said that it checks for abuse during account registration, messaging, and in response to 'negative feedback'. WhatsApp is frequently used to spread misinformation in India. These reports provide an insight into the magnitude of user complaints. They also shed light on action taken by the platform to address these complaints; thereby, bringing its content moderation practices into focus. Decrease in WhatsApp user grievances The user grievances received by WhatsApp declined from 495 grievances in January to 335 grievances in February. These grievances pertain to ban appeals, product support, and more. The number of ban appeals decreased from 285 in January to 194 in February. Here's how WhatsApp dealt with other user grievances received. [caption id="attachment_159302" align="alignnone" width="697"] Source: WhatsApp[/caption] User grievances related to product support and safety have 'NA' written against them as these grievances are redirected to the app's in-built reporting feature, and actions taken therein are not included in the “Accounts Actioned”, WhatsApp explained in the report. The platform marks 'NA' in cases where: The user requires assistance from WhatsApp to access…
