New Delhi: Messaging platform WhatsApp has “cooperated” with the Centre in blocking several accounts of users using mobile connections by potentially fraudulent means who were detected by a facial recognition-based artificial intelligence tool developed by the government, Union Minister of Communication Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The government is working with other social media platforms as well, he added.
The tool, called Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification (ASTR) has been developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for detecting individuals who have registered more than 9 mobile connections – the maximum allowed currently – to verify whether they have been created using legitimate means.
Vaishnaw said that in one case 6,800 connections were taken against the same image of the subscriber (same face, different names). In another case, 5,300 connections were taken against the same image (same face, different names).
According to the Ministry of Communication, an analysis of more than 87 crore mobile connections was carried out using ASTR in the first phase where more than 40 lakh cases of people using one single photograph to obtain mobile connections was detected. After “due verification” over 36 lakh connections were discontinued by telecom operators.
The details of the disconnected numbers were also shared with banks, payment wallets and social media platforms for disengaging these numbers from their respective platforms.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said, “…we are grateful for the Minister’s acknowledgment of WhatsApp’s continuous commitment to user safety. We have been actively engaging with the Government to consistently ensure a safe and secure user experience, including weeding out bad-actors from the platform”.
He was announcing the release of the Sanchar Saathi portal, a single window website that brings together initiatives the government has already released, such as TAFCOP, a system for users to find out how many SIM cards are registered in their name, and the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), a system that lets people who lose their phone or have it stolen remotely block the handset for use on Indian telecom networks.
Agencies

KR Desk