WhatsApp has threatened legal action against those who publicly claim the ability to abuse its messaging platform, after companies have been advertising products to bypass usage restrictions.
A Reuters investigation report showed how WhatsApp clones and other software tools were helping Indian digital marketers and political activists bypass anti-spam restrictions for an upcoming election.
The Facebook sub said in a FAQ titled “Unauthorised usage of WhatsApp” that from Dec 7 it would take action even if an entity merely made public claims of an ability to abuse its platform.
The company said:
“this serves as notice that we will take legal action against companies for such abuses.”
Reuters in May reported WhatsApp was being misused ahead of India’s general election through the use of free clone apps and via a low cost tool that allowed users to automate delivery of bulk WhatsApp messages.
