Facebook-owned WhatsApp is the most popular cross-platform messaging service in the world. Operating at that scale presents its own set of challenges. The company has had to take several steps to ensure that its platform isn’t abused and not used for the spread of misinformation. WhatsApp is now threatening legal action against even those who merely claim that they have the ability to abuse its platform as many companies have emerged who claim to be able to do just that.
WhatsApp recently banned users running modified versions of its app and has been banning millions of accounts per month to fight spam. It even put a limit on text forwarding to prevent rumors from rapidly spreading across its platform.
However, reports leading up to the recent general election in India revealed that modified WhatsApp clones and software tools were still being used to bypass the service’s anti-spam restrictions. Digital marketers have been offering services such as bulk delivery of WhatsApp messages in markets like India, Nigeria, and Indonesia. Some companies in India even let people send bulk messages on WhatsApp from anonymous numbers through a website.
WhatsApp has again warned of taking legal action against such companies, even those who merely claim that they have the capability to bypass its anti-spam restrictions. However, it hasn’t provided much clarity on the kind of legal action it will take.
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