Every month 1 crore Indian accounts are being banned from WhatsApp, why is the government asking for their details? Know the whole matter

New Delhi: In India, cyber fraud through WhatsApp is becoming a big concern for the government. The closure of millions of Indian accounts every month is an indication that misuse of mobile numbers is increasing rapidly. Especially fraudsters are using Indian numbers to trap people, due to which both the concern and strictness of the government has increased.

India is the biggest market for WhatsApp, where crores of people use this platform for everything from everyday conversations to work. But the increasing incidents of fraud among this large user base have forced the government to talk directly to WhatsApp, so that a permanent solution to this problem can be found.

Crores of accounts are being closed every month

According to reports, WhatsApp is closing on an average about 98 lakh i.e. about one crore Indian accounts every month. Suspending accounts on such a large scale highlights the fact that misuse of Indian mobile numbers is rampant. Thugs are committing fraud through these numbers, due to which common people are suffering financial loss.

Why is the government facing problems?

According to media reports, WhatsApp in its monthly report only gives information about how many accounts were closed, but does not tell which numbers those accounts were linked to. The government believes that due to this there is difficulty in taking effective action against cyber fraud and spam.

Officials say that the numbers which are blocked on WhatsApp, the same fraudsters later become active on other platforms like Telegram and cheat people there too. Fraudsters are using Indian numbers from both inside and outside the country.

Most of the frauds are happening on OTP apps

According to officials, about 95 percent of the cases of digital arrest and identity fraud are coming to light on WhatsApp. Thugs extort money from people by scaring them. Once an account is created, a SIM card is not required, making it even more difficult to catch criminals.

An official has said that we have to strike a balance between convenience and security. To prevent fraud, it is important to know when the account opening SIM was issued and whether its KYS details are real or fake.

Efforts for coordination between government and WhatsApp

The government is continuously asking WhatsApp and other platforms to immediately close the accounts involved in fraud. According to the Department of Telecommunications, till November this year, about 29 lakh WhatsApp profiles and groups have been closed on the instructions of the government. In these cases the government has information about the numbers that have been switched off.

However, when WhatsApp itself closes the account, the government does not get any information related to it. Officials say that WhatsApp only tells the numbers, but does not tell which numbers have been blocked. The government claims that it does not want personal information but only the numbers so that it can be checked whether they are genuine or not.

A former official said the report was aimed at bringing transparency and accountability to the platform, and now the government has the right to seek more information. At the same time, WhatsApp says that it uses end-to-end encryption, so the decisions to close the account are based on the behavior of the user. The company argues that there are technical and legal problems in sharing the number.

Despite this, officials believe that not giving information in some cases is a matter of concern from national security point of view. In such a situation, the government can take even more strict steps in the coming time to curb cyber fraud.