Instant messaging service WhatsApp has said political parties are not using the platform in the manner that was intended and warned them that it will ban accounts in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections if needed. WhatsApp also released a white paper titled “Stopping abuse: How WhatsApp fights bulk messaging and automated behaviour” on Wednesday and said its top priority is to fight automated behaviour on the service. “We have also engaged with numerous political parties to ensure they are aware of our terms of service and that attempting to send bulk messages on WhatsApp is not allowed. “We have been preparing for the India election since the Karnataka vote last year—when we saw a number of parties attempt to abuse WhatsApp,” added the spokesperson. The company said roughly 90% of chats on WhatsApp were from one person to another and majority of groups have fewer than 10 people.

Source: Hindustan Times February 06, 2019 13:04 UTC