WhatsApp revealed back-end upgrades to combat spam calls, especially in India. Recently, it affected many people and caught the Indian government’s notice.
On Thursday, the Meta-owned messaging service said it quickly increased its AI and ML algorithms to reduce spam calls. However, calls from unknown international numbers harassed and defrauded several people. Indian social media users have extensively reported these instances in recent days.
“WhatsApp leads end-to-end encrypted services in user safety. WhatsApp’s Block & Report function, user safety education, and proactive banning of dangerous actors continue. However, scammers utilize many methods. “International scam calls are a new way bad actors have adopted,” a WhatsApp spokeswoman stated.
The representative said the increased enforcement would cut spam calls by 50%. “We anticipate resolving the current incident. The representative pledged to keep users safe.
People reported fraudulent people calling from international phone numbers from Ethiopia (+251), Indonesia (+62), Kenya (+254), Malaysia (+60), and Vietnam (+84). They usually advertised fake jobs. However, the fraudsters often requested Telegram connections.
The recent fixes will decrease the issue over time. Affected users do not need to update or adjust the app.
On Thursday, India’s minister of state for electronics and information technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, informed local media that the IT ministry would notify Meta to prohibit spam calls on messaging applications. He said WhatsApp or another chat network should address spam.
Meta and WhatsApp prioritize user privacy and security. “We are fully aligned with the government’s goal of keeping users safe,” the WhatsApp representative added.
WhatsApp has 500 million users in India. Last year, Indian brands spammed WhatsApp users. However, users noted that after barring some firms, many returned to the inbox from various phone numbers.
Google also saw firms abusing its anti-spam restrictions on Rich Communication Services (RCS) ads to send promotional messages to Indian users. The search giant suspended service in the country.