WhatsApp bans over 7.2 million Indian accounts in May
WhatsApp banned more than 7.2 million Indian user accounts in May 2026. The majority of these bans were proactively initiated before user complaints were received.
Meta-owned WhatsApp announced it banned 7,214,702 Indian user accounts between May 1 and May 31, 2026, according to its latest monthly transparency report released under India's IT Rules.
The company stated that it proactively blocked 1,379,438 accounts before receiving any user complaints. While WhatsApp received 19,859 user grievances during the month, action was taken on only 399 accounts. The majority of complaints pertained to ban appeals.
WhatsApp explained that a grievance may not result in action if it relates to account access, feature support, feedback, or unsuccessful requests to restore banned accounts, or if the reported account does not violate Indian law or WhatsApp’s terms.
According to the report, most account enforcement occurred through WhatsApp's own detection systems rather than the formal grievance process. India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued 15 orders to WhatsApp during the month, all of which the company complied with.