Account review on WhatsApp: Some users report issues accessing their accounts

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has come to the fore with a review process targeting accounts deemed to have violated its terms of service. It has been stated that some personal and business accounts have also been restricted during the process, which the application launched to prevent fraud and forgery activities.

No clear number has been shared regarding how many users in which countries have been affected. However, posts on social media and forums show that some users in Turkey have also reported experiencing issues accessing their accounts.

The warning encountered by users stated, "This account cannot use WhatsApp, some activity on your account may not have complied with our Terms of Service." The message noted that a review could be requested to regain access to the account, including chats and new messages, and that most reviews are completed within 24 hours.

The focal point of the backlash was that users were not clearly informed about which rule was violated for the restricted accounts. Some users argued that their accounts were restricted in error.

We ban accounts to prevent those trying to abuse our service and to ensure the safety of other users. Sometimes we do this by mistake, in which case we work to fix it as soon as possible so people can chat again. We have taken action to recover the affected accounts.

Meta's statement indicated that the company acknowledges there may be erroneous restrictions and that a correction process has been initiated for the affected accounts. Users are offered the option to create a review request via the prompts within the application.