Most WhatsApp users get spam messages every day: Survey
What's the story
A staggering 96% of WhatsApp users receive promotional or spam messages on a daily basis, a recent survey has revealed. The study was conducted by LocalCircles and involved over 42,000 respondents. It found that only 4% of those surveyed said they don't get any kind of promotional or spam messages on the platform.
Frequency
Majority get multiple spam messages daily
The survey also revealed that a majority of the respondents get multiple promotional or spam messages every day. Around 54% said they receive one to three such messages daily, while 30% reported getting four to seven. The remaining 11% said they get eight or more such messages on an average day.
Legal scrutiny
Survey comes amid SC's questioning of Meta, WhatsApp
The survey comes as the Supreme Court has questioned Meta Platforms and WhatsApp over their privacy policies. The court slammed WhatsApp's policy for potentially compromising citizens' right to privacy in the name of data sharing. It specifically called out "silent customers," who are unorganized, digitally dependent, and unaware of the implications of these policies.
Source of spam
Unsolicited messages often come from WhatsApp Business accounts
The survey noted that unsolicited messages often come from the WhatsApp Business accounts in an unchecked manner. This service allows senders to pay WhatsApp for sending messages to users. The spam messages cover a wide range of sectors, including automobile service centers, financial services, and real estate developers.
User action
Many users block spam senders
In response to the deluge of spam messages, many users have resorted to blocking the numbers sending them. The survey found that 59% of respondents block these numbers while others simply ignore them. A small percentage (3%) even mutes these numbers in a bid to avoid further disturbances from unwanted texts.