WhatsApp spam calls: Indian government prepares to issue notice to WhatsApp over international spam calls

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) is currently on the verge of issuing a notice to WhatsApp, owing to an abundance of complaints from users regarding spam calls from international numbers through the messaging platform on their mobile phones. This has led to the responsibility of ensuring user security and trust being placed on social media platforms, as stated by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology. The Ministry takes immediate cognizance of such occurrences and deems it their duty to respond accordingly. Thus, a notice will soon be issued to WhatsApp, and a reply will be demanded.

Interestingly, a tweet from a Twitter user hinted that WhatsApp is surreptitiously using the microphone in the background. On May 10, Rajeev Chandrasekhar himself tweeted in response, stating that such a breach of privacy cannot be tolerated, and that the matter will be looked into and remedial action taken. He further revealed that a new Digital Personal Data Projection Bill is in the works.

May 10, 2023

Numerous other social media users have echoed similar complaints about spam calls on WhatsApp, with the numbers originating from Indonesia (+62), Vietnam (+84), Malaysia (+60), Kenya (+254), and Ethiopia (+251).

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