Online scams saw a sharp increase in India last year, and reports about them began to circulate online. The majority of these scammers used the well-known messaging app WhatsApp to contact their victims. In an attempt to tackle this problem, the corporation even banned thousands of Indian accounts, and the government even contacted WhatsApp in search of a resolution. Furthermore, it appears that the business is about to implement a new safety feature that would allow it to take action against accounts who exhibit questionable activity.
WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new feature that will allow it to block some user accounts, according to a recent report by WA Beta Info. Based on the data gathered by the portal, WhatsApp is testing a feature that will enable user accounts to be temporarily blocked from sending messages. According to the report, when a user’s account is restricted on WhatsApp, they would be temporarily unable to start new chats as a result of particular offenses. Important communication can still be conducted, though, as restricted individuals will still be able to send and receive messages in existing groups and chats. It is expected that this functionality will be added in a later app release.
The report went on to state that the purpose of WhatsApp’s account limitation feature is to stop abusive behavior, spammy activity, and other violations of the service agreement. Due to end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp uses automated algorithms to identify these kinds of actions. These systems analyze behavioral patterns without gaining access to message or call content. These technologies use factors like message frequency and the existence of automated scripts to identify suspicious behavior.
WhatsApp might be able to alert scammers and other fraudsters to the need to modify their tactics before completely banning them thanks to this capability. The way WhatsApp now handles this is by completely banning the accounts, which significantly degrades the chat experience. WhatsApp can handle problematic behavior with the accounts restriction function without seriously impairing the messaging experience.
Note that the feature is reportedly still in development, and there is no information available regarding when it will be released. That being said, it’s important to remember that WhatsApp hasn’t formally announced the feature, even though WA Beta Info is a trustworthy source. Therefore, it’s a good idea to handle this stuff with caution.