This archive report was first published on 11 November 2019.
November 11, 2019, marked the beginning of a new era for WhatsApp, as the platform started banning groups with suspicious or illegal names and subjects.
According to reports from WABetaInfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the platform has been banning users who are part of groups with names and subjects that violate its terms of service.
One such incident was reported by Reddit user Mowe11, who claimed that he was banned from WhatsApp after his university group's name was changed to 'Child's Pornography'. The user received an automatic response from WhatsApp stating that he had violated the platform's rules, but the company restored his account after a week without providing any clarification.
Similar incidents have been reported by other users, with some groups being banned after changing their names to 'disgusting' ones. WhatsApp restored these users' accounts after a ban period of 27 days.
WABetaInfo predicts that WhatsApp uses an automated system to detect suspicious activity, which assesses the group's metadata, including its creation date, subject, and description.
While WhatsApp does have ban notices for users who are on unauthorized apps, the company's zero-tolerance approach has upset many users. The only resort for those banned seems to be moving to another platform or changing their phone numbers.
As a precaution, users are advised to be more selective about the groups they join, especially now that they have the power to choose who can add them to group chats. Admins are also encouraged to do a cleanup of admins who could potentially cause trouble for the group.
