Explained: Why does WhatsApp ban accounts and how to prevent it

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned popular instant messaging app, banned over 2.3 million Indian accounts in August. The company released its ‘User Safety Report’ for the month of October in compliance with India’s IT Rules, 2021 which mandate digital platforms with over five million users to publish compliance reports every month.

This month’s report covers the period from 1 August 2022 to 31 August 2022.

In July, the messaging app had taken down 2.39 million Indian accounts and 2.21 million accounts a month before on the basis of complaints flagged through the company’s grievances channel, Reuters reported.

Why does WhatsApp withhold users’ accounts? What can you do to prevent from getting your account banned? We explain.

Why WhatsApp bans accounts

WhatsApp, which has received flak for spreading fake news and hate speech in India, can ban accounts for a number of reasons.

Users’ accounts can be removed for violating the company’s code of conduct, for unlawful and/or violence-provoking activities among others, as per Indian Express.

whatsapp

WhatsApp also takes action against users “for violating the laws of India or WhatsApp’s Terms of Service”, reports India Today.

To prevent abuse on its platform, the company works on three levels.

“The abuse detection operates at three stages of an account’s lifestyle: at registration, during messaging, and in response to negative feedback, received in the form of user reports and blocks. A team of analysts augments these systems to evaluate edge cases and help improve effectiveness over time,” the messaging platform said, as per Indian Express.

ALSO READ: ‘WhatsApp has been a surveillance tool for 13 years, better stop using it’, says Telegram Founder

How to save your account from getting banned on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp lays down a number of ‘best practices’ and those to avoid to ‘ensure responsible use’ of the messaging platform.

Be mindful before forwarding messages

WhatsApp has limited the number of times users can forward messages. It has also put a label on all forwarded messages- ‘Forwarded many times’.

Users are also advised not to share unverified messages whose authenticity cannot be determined by them.

Someone might report your account if you share fake news or posts.

Avoid bulk messages

Users should not send bulk or automated messages.

“WhatsApp uses both machine learning technology and reports from users to detect and ban accounts that send unwanted automated messages,” the Meta-owned platform says.

The platform also advises against creating groups in ‘unauthorized or automated ways’ as well as using unofficial WhatsApp applications.

Don’t send unwelcome texts

You should use WhatsApp in a respectful manner and abide by other people’s boundaries.

If someone asks you not to send them messages, then you must listen to them and stop.

Avoid overusing broadcast lists

Only those users who have added your WhatsApp number to their contact list get your messages sent through a broadcast list.

If you frequently use broadcast messages, it may lead people to flag your messages, and then, if your account gets reported multiple times, then WhatsApp will be compelled to take action.

Ask for permission

Before adding people to groups, you must ask for their permission. If they do not want to be added to the group, then honour their wishes. Do not send inappropriate messages to groups that might make others uncomfortable.

Adhere to WhatsApp’s Terms of Service

Follow WhatsApp’s Terms of Service if you want to keep using your account smoothly.

These Terms of Service forbid “publishing falsehoods and engaging in illegal, threatening, intimidating, hateful, and racially or ethnically offensive behavior”, as per WhatsApp.

ALSO READ: WhatsApp’s new update now lets users block screenshots of view-once images, also introduces group polls

What if your account gets mistakenly barred?

There are also instances when accounts get barred by mistake. “While well-intentioned, you might risk your account getting banned if it involves activity that violates the company’s Terms of Service, for example, if it involves spam, scams or puts WhatsApp users’ safety at risk,” a statement by WhatsApp was cited by News18.

whatsapp picture

You will know your account has been banned by WhatsApp if you receive this message on opening the app: ‘This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp’.

If it has been banned accidentally, you can either email WhatsApp or click on ‘request a review’ in the app.

If you request a review, a 6-digit registration code will be sent to you via SMS. You have to enter that code and submit your request for a review with details supporting your case.
The company will get back to you once the review is complete.

How to register a grievance?

If you think an account violates WhatsApp’s Terms of Service, you can complain about your grievances against it by mailing to ‘grievance_officer_wa@support.whatsapp.com’.

You can also send a mail through the post to your nearest grievance officer.

Another way is to use the feature ‘block and report’ on the platform. In this case, WhatsApp will ask you to share the last five messages of the chat.

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.



from Firstpost Tech Latest News https://ift.tt/MNymJhr

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elon Musk’s bid spotlights Twitter’s unique role in public discourse – and what changes might be in store

Twitter has been in the news a lot lately, albeit for the wrong reasons. Its stock growth has languished and the platform itself has largely remained the same since its founding in 2006. On April 14, 2022, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, made an offer to buy Twitter and take the public company private. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission , Musk stated, “I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.” As a researcher of social media platforms , I find that Musk’s potential ownership of Twitter and his stated reasons for buying the company raise important issues. Those issues stem from the nature of the social media platform and what sets it apart from others. What makes Twitter unique Twitter occupies a unique niche. Its short chunks of text and threading foster real-time conversations among thousands of people, which
Read more

To reach net-zero emissions and remove CO2 from the air, scientists drawn up six priorities

Image
To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, global emissions must be cut faster and deeper than the world has yet managed. But even then, some hard-to-treat sources of pollution – in aviation, agriculture and cement making – may linger for longer than we would like. It will take time for clean alternatives to arrive and replace them. That means the world also needs to find and ramp up ways of taking CO₂ out of the atmosphere to stabilise the climate. Just meeting the UK’s net-zero target is likely to require the removal of 100 million tonnes of CO₂ a year , similar in size to current emissions from the country’s largest-emitting sector, road transport, but in reverse. The UK government’s announcement of £31.5 million (US$44.7 million) in support for research and development of carbon removal is welcome. And while trials of new tech will help, there are many social issues that need to be tackled if removing greenhouse gases is to succeed. Done right, carbon removal could be the perfect a
Read more

NASA is planning to partner with SpaceX to reboost the Hubble Telescope and extend its life

Image
The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most important scientific achievements of the human species that has helped us understand space. It has been in orbit for over 30 years and has been feeding some of the most vital streams of information that has not only helped us steer our space exploration efforts, but also solve some of the more deep mysteries of the universe . NASA would love to extend its usable life for as long as possible. Unfortunately, for some years now, Hubble Space Telescope has been slipping out of its orbit. That is why, NASA is planning to team up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and place it into a higher much more stable orbit. NASA, SpaceX and Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut with the Polaris Program, hosted a media teleconference on Thursday to announce a feasibility study that will look into sending a commercial Dragon spacecraft to reboost the Hubble Space Telescope . This will, in effect place the telescope into a higher and more stable orbit than it’s curren
Read more