It’s the staple for instant mobile communication globally, but the Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp isn’t about to adopt an “anything goes” approach on the encrypted service.
WhatsApp has started handing out bans to users that violate the app’s terms of service, and it isn’t backing down on keeping things orderly in the world of mobile messaging.
The messaging platform has slapped people that are still using alternative, unofficial WhatsApp clients with temporary bans. In a blog post, WhatsApp explained that users who were temporarily banned from the messaging service probably received the ban due to “using an unsupported version of WhatsApp instead of the official app, you must download the official app to continue using WhatsApp”.
WhatsApp wants to curb the use of unofficial versions of the app not only because of the security concerns that are raised, but also because some third-party versions also allow for scheduled messaging – something which is considered facilitative of anti-social behaviour.
Indeed, anti-social behaviour certainly isn’t at the forefront of the agenda of the company that owns WhatsApp, and users may now also be banned for being blocked by too many people in too short a period, sending too many messages to users that aren’t in their address books and creating multiple groups made up of users that aren’t in their address books.
Even though WhatsApp Business is being touted as a useful tool for small business owners, it would seem that the standard version of the app is to remain a tool for social interaction, untainted by corporate takeover.