WhatsApp has agreed to cancel several mobile numbers from its messaging platform identified as fraudulent users whose mobile services have been disconnected.
On Tuesday, Ashwini Vaishnab (Telecom Minister) said they have actively engaged with WhatsApp. They have agreed that customer protection is paramount. So, they are on board to deregister users who are identified as fraudulent users.
He further said that WhatsApp should stop scammers calling from the so-called international numbers for fraud.
He further said that the government has engaged with platforms like Telegram and others for similar issues. This included canceling bad actors off the platform.
WhatsApp is one of the greatest end-to-end encrypted services to protect user security. They conduct user security education and also awareness, and they also provide different built-in security tools such as block and report, two-step verification, etc.
The minister was giving a speech at the launch of a 3-pronged consumer-facing sectoral reform. Among these, one of which can enable users to know how many connections they have with their identity. Also, users can block their mobile phones through a web portal called Sanchar Sathi. This is in case the user’s phone gets lost or stolen. A central equipment identity registry supports the service. The government has also introduced Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition. These are powered solutions for SIM subscriber verification. This is to identify fraudulent subscribers.
The minister also said that different types of fraud, such as identity theft, fake KYC, and banking fraud, may happen by misusing mobile phones. So, the government created this portal to prevent such fraud. Ashwini Vaishnab (Telecom Minister) further said that the solutions complied with the privacy guidelines the Supreme Court judgment laid down. It shall follow the provisions that are coming in subsequent privacy laws. India is working on a Digital Personal Information Protection Act, also.
Using the Sanchar Sathi portal, more than 40 lakh fraud connections have been identified. Also, over 36 lakhs of such connections are disconnected so far. Ashwini Vaishnab (Telecom Minister) added that the reforms would be reviewed after six months or a year.
What is Whatsapp?
WhatsApp is an instant messaging platform and Voice-over-IP service. American technology company Meta owns it.
The messaging platform allows users to send text messages or voice messages. It helps users make voice and video calls. It also helps users share images, documents, and other content.
WhatsApp’s client application runs on mobile devices. You can also access it using a computer.
However, you require a mobile phone number to sign up for the service.
In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business. WhatsApp Business can interact with the standard WhatsApp client.
It soon became the most popular messaging application globally by 2015, and by February 2020, it had over 2 billion users worldwide.
By 2016, it had become the major means of Internet communication in several regions like the Indian subcontinent, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.
