Nairobi County Woman Representative Esther Passaris is enjoying life after her WhatsApp was banned in unclear circumstances.
The legislator who is in India on Saturday, October 12, 2024, said that she was enjoying a newfound peace of mind following the unprecedented ban on her WhatsApp, only fearing that she could not respond to urgent and needy cases.
“It’s been a blessing in disguise having my WhatsApp number banned. I am enjoying my ‘me time’ and my ‘peace of mind’. The only low point is some really ‘needy cases’ now have no instant access. God will make a way,” Passaris said.
Passaris alluded that a group of malicious individuals could have been behind her ordeal, noting that what goes around comes back around.
Reasons for WhatsApp bans
WhatsApp is one of the most popular social media platforms in the country. It is considered to be one of the most private social media messaging apps given the controls users have on the information shared and the audiences involved.
One of the main reasons why you could get banned on WhatsApp is when the system identifies that you are using some of its cloned app versions like the GBWhatsApp or YoWhatsApp.
Additionally, one could get flagged and banned from WhatsApp when they overuse the broadcast messaging tool.
Another reason which could get you in trouble with the popular messaging app is spreading false information to larger audiences over a long period.
With the help of built-in machine learning capabilities, WhatsApp can identify false information and can ban users involved, effectively logging them out of their devices and suspending their accounts.
Also, one of the recently added features in WhatsApp is that users can report an account when they suspect it is involved in actions that are contrary to the app’s terms of service including spreading false information.
WhatsApp takes time to investigate the reported accounts and decides to either ban or end their suspension depending on the outcome of the findings.
CA data trends
According to the Communications Authority’s first quarter of 2024, report on cyber security, social media platforms are increasingly becoming avenues for cyberattacks.
Similarly, cybercriminals are intensifying their targeting of personal data, hacking, fake news, cyberbullying and other online fraud through social media platforms.