WhatsApp to deploy AI and ML systems to reduce scam calls in India

Meta-owned messenger app WhatsApp has said that it is ramping up its AI and ML systems to reduce international scam calls by at least 50 per cent. This was in response to the government’s call to issue a notice to the platform in the matter.

Indian users have seen a rise in spam calls from international numbers in recent years. Most of these spam calls have country codes from Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Indonesia as their origins.

Earlier in the day, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, stated the Ministry may send a notice to WhatsApp regarding the user harm caused by international scam calls.

“The platforms are responsible to ensure the safety and trust of those who use them. In the case of international scam calls, the main problem we are looking at is how these numbers get out (to the scammers) and how they are able to identify which numbers are on WhatsApp. If it is some database they have got, we will need to ask the platforms to look at the possible breach of privacy,” the minister said, adding that the ministry may issue a warning to the intermediary in accordance with Indian legislation.

WhatsApp responded to this by saying that its main objective is to protect the privacy and security of its users.

"Protecting the privacy and security of users is fundamental to Meta and to WhatsApp. Our users are at the heart of everything we do, and we are fully aligned with the Government's goal of keeping users safe. WhatsApp is a leader among end-to-end encrypted services in protecting user safety," said a WhatsApp spokesperson. 

He further said that the company will continue to provide several safety tools within WhatsApp, like Block & Report, and consistently build user safety education and awareness. They will also proactively weed out bad actors from the platform.

"International scam calls are a new way that bad actors have recently adopted. By giving a missed call, they lead curious users to call or message back, only to get scammed. Therefore, we have quickly ramped up our AI & ML systems to bring down such incidents significantly. Our new enforcement will reduce the current calling rate by at least 50 per cent, and we expect to be able to control the current incidence effectively. We will continue to work relentlessly towards ensuring a safe experience for our users," they further added.