WhatsApp has listed tips to prevent your account from getting banned. The chat app that has long been dealing with issues like the spread of misinformation, spam and scams, has come up with a list of tips to help prevent your WhatsApp account from getting banned.
The company says that it bans the accounts that are found violating the company’s Terms of Service if it involves spam, scams or puts WhatsApp users’ safety at risk. According to the company’s monthly user safety report, over 2.3 million Indian accounts were banned in the month of August alone.
If your account is banned, you’ll see the following message when you open WhatsApp: “This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp.” We ban accounts if we believe the account activity violates our Terms of Service, for example, if it involves spam or scams or if it puts WhatsApp users’ safety at risk. If you think your account was banned by mistake, please email us or tap request a review in the app and we’ll look into your case. We’ll get back to you as soon as we complete our review. When you request a review in the app, you’ll be prompted to enter a 6-digit registration code sent to you via SMS. Once you’ve entered it, you’ll be able to submit your request for a review and add details to support your case,” says WhatsApp.
Here are the tips that can prove to be helpful in preventing your account from getting banned.
- Discourage forwarded messages: WhatsApp has created a label for all forwarded messages and limits the number of times a message can be forwarded. The chat app recommends not to forward the message if one is unsure about its source.
- Say no to automated or bulk messages: Don’t bulk message, auto-message, or auto-dial using WhatsApp. WhatsApp uses both machine learning technology and reports from users to detect and ban accounts that send unwanted automated messages.
- Avoid over-using broadcast lists: Frequent use of broadcast messages may lead people to report your messages, and WhatsApp will ban accounts that are reported multiple times.
- Seek permission and respect boundaries: WhatsApp suggests users to get permission from contacts before adding them to any group. If a contact wants you to stop messaging them, you should remove the contact from your address book and stop contacting them again.
- Chat with known contacts: Only send messages to those who have contacted you first or have requested you to contact them on WhatsApp.
- Abide by WhatsApp’s Terms of Services: WhatsApp bans an account only when it’s found violating its Terms of Services which includes publishing falsehoods and engaging in illegal, defamatory, intimidating, harassing behaviour, among others.
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