Forwarded from BlackBox (Security) Archiv
Kashmiris Are Disappearing From WhatsApp
Kashmiris enduring their region's ongoing internet blackout are losing their WhatsApp accounts because of the platform's policy on inactive accounts.
On Wednesday, #Kashmiris began #disappearing from #WhatsApp — and no one initially knew why. #Citizens of the disputed geographical territory, whose autonomy the #Indian #government revoked in August, abruptly and inexplicably began departing WhatsApp groups in which they had long participated, leaving behind only a “[Phone number] left” message.
It's been four months since India’s government shut down Kashmir’s internet services, cutting off the region from the rest of the world. Because of this, some observers suspected that the Kashmiris who disappeared from their WhatsApp #groups this week did not do so on their own and may not even know anything has changed.
In a comment provided after this story's publication, a spokesperson for #Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, said the disappearances were the result of the messaging app's policy on inactive accounts.
"To maintain security and limit data retention, WhatsApp accounts generally expire after 120 days of inactivity," they wrote. "When that happens, those accounts automatically exit their WhatsApp groups. People will need to be re-added to groups upon regaining access to the Internet and joining WhatsApp again."
The spokesperson did not respond to questions from BuzzFeed News about how many Kashmiris were affected. Those whose profiles have expired will have to re-register on WhatsApp and recreate their profiles on the platform.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/hundreds-of-kashmiris-are-disappearing-from-their-whatsapp
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Kashmiris enduring their region's ongoing internet blackout are losing their WhatsApp accounts because of the platform's policy on inactive accounts.
On Wednesday, #Kashmiris began #disappearing from #WhatsApp — and no one initially knew why. #Citizens of the disputed geographical territory, whose autonomy the #Indian #government revoked in August, abruptly and inexplicably began departing WhatsApp groups in which they had long participated, leaving behind only a “[Phone number] left” message.
It's been four months since India’s government shut down Kashmir’s internet services, cutting off the region from the rest of the world. Because of this, some observers suspected that the Kashmiris who disappeared from their WhatsApp #groups this week did not do so on their own and may not even know anything has changed.
In a comment provided after this story's publication, a spokesperson for #Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, said the disappearances were the result of the messaging app's policy on inactive accounts.
"To maintain security and limit data retention, WhatsApp accounts generally expire after 120 days of inactivity," they wrote. "When that happens, those accounts automatically exit their WhatsApp groups. People will need to be re-added to groups upon regaining access to the Internet and joining WhatsApp again."
The spokesperson did not respond to questions from BuzzFeed News about how many Kashmiris were affected. Those whose profiles have expired will have to re-register on WhatsApp and recreate their profiles on the platform.
👉🏼 Read more:
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/hundreds-of-kashmiris-are-disappearing-from-their-whatsapp
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_DE
📡@cRyPtHoN_INFOSEC_EN
📡@BlackBox_Archiv