WhatsApp hires India grievance officer
Users can now reach out to company’s support team directly from app
Under pressure to put an end to ominous messages that have resulted in a number of lynching incidents in India, WhatsApp has appointed a grievance officer for the country and listed out the process for users to flag concerns and complaints, including about fake news.
According to the company’s website, Komal Lahiri has been appointed as grievance officer for India and will be based out of California in the US.
According to the company’s website, users can reach out to its support team directly from the app under “Settings” tab. And in case they wish to lodge a complaint, they can contact the grievance officer.
Meeting one of the prominent demands of the Indian government, messaging app WhatsApp has appointed a grievance officer for the country and listed out the process for users to flag concerns and complaints, including those around fake news.
According to update by the company, Komal Lahiri has been appointed as grievance officer for India and will be based out of California, USA.
As per Lahiri’s LinkedIn profile, she is senior director, global customer operations and localisation, WhatsApp.
“To contact the grievance officer, please send an email with your complaint or concern and sign with an electronic signature. If you’re contacting us about a specific account, please include your phone number in full international format, including the country code,” said the company on its website. People can also send their complaints through post to Lahiri at her official address in USA given on the website.
“If you have a concern regarding the usage of WhatsApp or the processing of your information, we recommend that you review our Help Centre. If you would like to contact us, go to WhatsApp Settings > Help > Contact Us. We can better assist you if you contact us through WhatsApp,” it said.
The company is under intense pressure from government and courts to take steps to curb circulation of rumours and fake news through its platform, which has resulted in number of lynching in the country.
Last month, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in a meeting with WhatsApp CEO Chris Daniels has asked the company to set up a grievance officer in India, establish a corporate entity in India and comply with Indian laws.
The government had also told WhatsApp that it could face abetment charges in case action is not taken to tackle circulation of fake messages.
The Supreme Court too has issued a notice to company why WhatsApp has not yet appointed a grievance officer in India.
According to reports the government is planning to send a third notice to WhatsApp asserting that it bring in ‘ traceability’ of messages on its platform.
The updated FAQs also detailed out the mechanism for law enforcement officials to reach out to WhatsApp.
WhatsApp has informed the government that it is building a local team, including having an India head, and has introduced new features to let its users identify forwarded messages.