WhatsApp on Tuesday said it banned over 2.6 million accounts in India in the month of September in compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, which are now being amended to put more responsibilities on social media platforms.
The messaging platform, which has nearly 500 million users (according to third-party data) in the country, received 666 complaint reports in September in India, and the records "actioned" were 23.
"In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, we've published our report for the month of September 2022. This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp's own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The platform banned over 2.3 million bad accounts in India in August.
Under the upgraded IT Rules 2021, major digital and social media platforms, with in excess of five million users, have to publish monthly compliance reports.
Meanwhile, in a major push towards an open, safe, trusted and accountable Internet, the Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified some amendments aimed at protecting the rights of "Digital Nagriks".
Currently, social media intermediaries are only required to inform users about not uploading certain categories of harmful/unlawful content.
The amendments impose a legal obligation on intermediaries to take reasonable efforts to prevent users from uploading such content.
Also Read: Pune bus service provider PMPML and Google Cloud join hands to live track buses on Google Maps
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the protection of the constitutional rights of Indian citizens is a must.
The amendments were notified after the Ministry followed an exhaustive public consultation process involving all stakeholders.
The new provisions will ensure that the intermediary's obligation is not a mere formality.
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
Lok Sabha elections 2024: All you need to know about EVMs and VVPAT; how they work
Apr 20, 2024 1:24 PM
Odisha Lok Sabha elections: Schedule, total seats, Congress candidates and more
Apr 20, 2024 11:39 AM
Lok Sabha Election 2024: Issues raised by Prime Minister Modi have not resonated with people of Tamil Nadu, says Congress
Apr 19, 2024 11:38 PM
West Bengal Lok Sabha elections 2024: A look at Congress candidates
Apr 19, 2024 8:45 PM