The U.S.-based company makes the disclosure while filing its first compliance report under India’s controversial new social media rules.
WhatsApp has blocked more than two million users in India in just one month for violating its rules, according to the US-based company in its first compliance report under controversial new social media rules of India.
Most users were blocked by what the company called spam abuse.
The company that owns Facebook has put a limit on mass forwarding messaging to try to counter the misinformation.
India implemented new rules in May to regulate social media companies, forcing them to disclose each month their efforts to monitor their platforms.
“We maintain advanced features to identify these accounts that send a high or abnormal message rate and we banned two million accounts in India alone from May 15 to June 15 to attempt this type of abuse,” WhatsApp said in his report released on Thursday afternoon.
The company said its “main focus” remains to prevent the spread of harmful and unwanted messages.
WhatsApp has more than 400 million users in India, one of its major markets, but has often been faced with criticism for spreading misinformation.
Dozens of people were lynched in India in 2018 following rumors spread on WhatsApp about gangs stealing children.
The incidents caused the messaging app to introduce a mass forwarding messaging limit in India.
WhatsApp and some Indian media firms have tried to challenge the new social media rules in the courts.
Critics say the government is looking to crush dissent, but the government says it is trying to make social media safer.
According to the rules, social media platforms must share details of the “first creator” of posts that are considered to harm India’s sovereignty, state security or public order.
WhatsApp says the rules violate India’s privacy laws.
