Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The IT Ministry will send a notice to WhatsApp on the issue of spam calls from unknown international numbers, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said, asserting that the onus of ensuring user safety lies with digital platforms.
The government will respond to every instance of alleged misuse or breach of users’ privacy, he said, according to media reports here on May 12.
Sending out a clear message that digital platforms are responsible for the safety of their users, the Minister of State for IT said the ministry is taking note of the international spam calls issue.
He indicated that one of the aspects being examined is also how these WhatsApp numbers are being identified and accessed in the first place, and whether databases or bots are being leveraged for this.
The minister’s comments assume significance as WhatsApp users in India have reported a massive surge in incoming international spam calls over the past few days.
Many users complained on Twitter that a major chunk of these spam calls had country codes belonging to Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), Malaysia (+60), Kenya (+254) and Ethiopia (+251).
Meanwhile, PwC India said in a report that
57 per cent of all fraud incidents in India are now ‘platform’ fraud, a novel form of economic crime that involves fraudulent activities associated with social media, e-commerce, enterprise and fintech platforms.
