WhatsApp To Deregister Mobile Numbers Used For Committing Fraud WhatsApp said in a statement on Tuesday that the platform was engaging with the government to resolve the issue
By Teena Jose
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Telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday said that Meta-owned WhatsApp has agreed to deregister those mobile numbers which have been found being used to commit fraud, and whose mobile services have already been disconnected from its platform. The minister was speaking at the launch of a three-pronged customer-facing sectoral reform.
Being asked on steps taken by the government to stop scammers calling from so-called international numbers on WhatsApp aiming to defraud unsuspecting consumers, the minister responded that, ""We have actively engaged with WhatsApp and they have agreed that yes, customer safety is most important, and they are absolutely on board to deregister the users which have been detected as fraud users."
He also added that the government was engaged with other platforms such as Telegram and others for the same.
As per media reports, Whatsapp said in a statement on Tuesday that the platform was engaging with the government to resolve the issue.
"We have been actively engaging with the government to consistently ensure a safe and secure user experience, including weeding out bad-actors from the platform. WhatsApp is a leader among end-to-end encrypted services in protecting user safety and we continue to provide several in-built safety tools like Block & Report, Two-step verification, among others, along with regularly driving user safety education and awareness," the statement reportedly added.
In order to identify fraudulent subscribers, the government also introduced ASTR or Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition-powered solution for telecom SIM subscriber verification.
The minister added that the solutions were in accordance with the privacy guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court judgements and will be in accordance with the provisions that are laid down in subsequent privacy laws and added that the country is also working on a digital personal data protection law.
Mentioning about the new telecom bill which is currently in the draft stage, the minister said that it will be finalised by July after taking into consideration views of all stakeholders, and will have enabling provisions to protect consumers. He further added that user safety is also an important part of the draft Telecom bill.
