Govt to send notice WhatsApp over complaints of spam calls
New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has decided to send a notice to messaging platform WhatsApp over complaints of international spam calls to users, media reports said.
Several people have taken to Twitter to express their grievances about receiving unsolicited phone calls from international numbers with country codes such as +84, +62, +60, and others.
Users have reported random WhatsApp calls originating from countries like Malaysia, Kenya, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and others, as indicated by the international dialing codes associated with these regions.
Till now, it is not clear the motive behind these calls, said reports.
"It is a part of the normal scope of activity of MeitY. We ask questions proactively and they will respond... Platforms are responsible to ensure safety and trust. Openness, safety and trust and accountability are the responsibility of the company," Union Minister of State for Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Thursday, reported Moneycontrol.
"One issue is how do these numbers get out. Is there a database that has gone out, or is it guesswork with a bot through a random number generator. These are things that the platforms will be asked to look at," he added.