WhatsApp has deactivated numerous accounts belonging to Kashmor-based users due to inactivity.
This is a direct result of a four-month internet blackout imposed by the government of India.
This past August Kashmir was stripped of its autonomy, split into two federally-run territories.
Most of the state’s political leaders and workers are currently incarcerated.
The Kashmiri users kicked out will need to be re-included into WhatsApp groups once they are back online.
India’s 400 million users makes the region an important market for WhatsApp.
Related article: Your WhatsApp messages could soon self-destruct
In a statement to BBC, a WhatsApp spokesperson said they, “care deeply about providing users everywhere with the ability to privately communicate with their friends and loved ones”.
WhatsApp accounts automatically expire after 120 days of inactivity, in order to maintain security and limit data retention.
The statement added, “When that happens, those accounts automatically exit all their WhatsApp groups. People will need to be re-added to groups upon regaining access to the internet and joining WhatsApp again.”
India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said that the internet, and especially social media are the key methods of radicalising people.
Hence the decision by India to induce an internet blackout in the region.
