MCMC: Meta confirms technical error wrongfully suspended WhatsApp accounts in Malaysia

Meta has acknowledged a technical error that led to legitimate WhatsApp users being mistakenly flagged for rule violations, affecting over half of the cases submitted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The error, resolved by the end of September, resulted in the proactive restoration of affected accounts, including those without appeal submissions.

Meta clarified that account suspensions might also be due to factors like recycled phone numbers and spam activities.

MCMC has urged Meta to enhance its appeal processes and continues to monitor the situation, with further regulatory actions considered if necessary.

CYBERJAYA, Oct 3 — Meta has acknowledged that a technical error in its system had caused legitimate WhatsApp user activity to be wrongly identified as rule violations, affecting more than half of the cases in the first batch submitted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

In a statement today, MCMC said it had received feedback from Meta regarding the issue of WhatsApp account suspensions that had previously been brought to the company’s attention.

“According to Meta, the technical error was addressed at the end of September and affected legitimate accounts were proactively restored, including some accounts that had not submitted appeals.

“Meta also confirmed that no changes had been made to its enforcement policies or WhatsApp Terms of Service,” the statement said.

MCMC said that for other cases, Meta explained that account suspensions could involve several factors, including recycled phone numbers previously associated with blocked accounts, spam or scam activity, and usage patterns detected by WhatsApp’s security systems.

According to the statement, user reports are one of the factors assessed and are not the sole basis for account suspension.

Regarding business accounts, Meta said sending messages without consent or in high volumes, particularly to recipients who are not on the contact list, could be detected as spam activity.

“Business users are advised to obtain recipients’ consent before sending messages in bulk,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, MCMC has asked Meta to improve its appeal and recovery processes so that affected users receive confirmation, information on the status of their review, and clearer and faster action.

MCMC advised affected users to use WhatsApp’s official appeal and support channels.

“MCMC will continue to monitor the resolution of outstanding cases and ensure that improvements are implemented to facilitate users in regaining access to their accounts.

“Further regulatory action will be considered if Meta’s measures are found to be inadequate,” it said. — Bernama

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Meta 承认存在技术错误，导致合法的 WhatsApp 用户被错误地标记为违反规则，影响了马来西亚通信和多媒体委员会 (MCMC) 提交的一半以上的案件。

该错误已于 9 月底得到解决，导致受影响的账户（包括那些没有提交申诉的账户）得到主动恢复。

Meta澄清说，账户暂停也可能是由于重复使用的电话号码和垃圾信息活动等因素造成的。

马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会 (MCMC) 已敦促 Meta 加强其申诉流程，并将继续关注事态发展，如有必要，将考虑采取进一步的监管措施。

赛城，10 月 3 日讯——Meta 承认其系统中的一个技术错误导致合法的 WhatsApp 用户活动被错误地识别为违规行为，影响了马来西亚通信和多媒体委员会 (MCMC) 提交的第一批案件中的一半以上。

马来西亚通讯及多媒体委员会（MCMC）今天发表声明称，已收到 Meta 公司就 WhatsApp 账号被封禁问题提出的反馈意见，该问题此前已引起 Meta 公司的注意。

据 Meta 称，该技术错误已于 9 月底得到解决，受影响的合法帐户已主动恢复，其中包括一些尚未提交申诉的帐户。

声明还称，“Meta 也确认，其执法政策或 WhatsApp 服务条款均未发生任何变化。”

MCMC表示，对于其他情况，Meta解释说，账户暂停可能涉及多种因素，包括之前与被封禁账户关联的回收电话号码、垃圾邮件或诈骗活动，以及WhatsApp安全系统检测到的使用模式。

声明称，用户举报是评估因素之一，但并非账号暂停的唯一依据。

Meta 表示，对于企业账户，未经同意或大量发送消息，特别是向不在联系人列表中的收件人发送消息，可能会被检测为垃圾邮件活动。

声明称：“建议企业用户在批量发送消息前征得收件人的同意。”

与此同时，马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会 (MCMC) 要求 Meta 改进其申诉和追偿流程，以便受影响的用户能够收到确认信息、有关其审查状态的信息，并获得更清晰、更快捷的行动。

马来西亚通信与多媒体委员会建议受影响用户使用WhatsApp的官方申诉和支持渠道。

“MCMC将继续监督未决案件的解决情况，并确保实施改进措施，以帮助用户重新获得对其帐户的访问权限。

“如果Meta的措施被认定为不足，将考虑采取进一步的监管行动。”声明中写道。——马新社

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