SRINAGAR: Owing to prolonged internet shutdown in Kashmir valleys, WhatsApp accounts belonging to Kashmiris began to expire this week with the internet ban completing four months.
Initially, there were speculations about the exit since since people could not have exited on their own.
But as per media reports, A Facebook spokesperson later confirmed that the disappearances from WhatsApp groups were the result of the company’s policy on inactive accounts. The social media company deletes accounts that have stayed inactive for 120 days.
Several activists including Shehla Rashid tagged WhatsApp on Twitter and asked why the accounts of users were being deleted for no faults of theirs.
She tweeted, “Please pay attention to this. There is no Internet in Kashmir for the past 4 months now, and your algorithm is deleting Kashmiri Whatsapp accounts which have been inactive for over 120 days, for no fault of theirs.”
Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir, then a state and now a Union Territory, have been blocked since August 5, when the Centre revoked its special autonomy and read down Article 370 of the Constitution.
