ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in collaboration with Meta, has developed a mechanism to permanently deactivate WhatsApp accounts registered against inactive and recycled mobile phone numbers, aiming to prevent fraud and unauthorised account access.
According to the details, Meta has already blocked 176,000 WhatsApp accounts registered with Pakistani mobile numbers following requests from the PTA.
Under the newly developed arrangement, the PTA will share details of 5,000 recycled mobile numbers every month with Meta to identify and deactivate old WhatsApp accounts associated with those numbers.
The initiative aims to address security risks arising when inactive mobile numbers are reassigned to new subscribers while WhatsApp accounts belonging to their previous owners remain active.
Such situations can potentially expose users to identity misuse, fraudulent activities and unauthorised access to accounts associated with reassigned phone numbers.
How the New WhatsApp Account Deactivation Mechanism Will Work
Under the new system, the PTA will regularly provide Meta with information about recycled mobile numbers.
Meta will use this information to identify WhatsApp accounts previously linked to those numbers and take action to deactivate them.
The mechanism is designed to prevent the misuse of accounts after mobile numbers have been reassigned to new subscribers.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen cooperation between Pakistan's telecom regulator and Meta in addressing digital security concerns.
Pakistan Has 100 Million WhatsApp Users
The development comes amid the widespread use of WhatsApp in Pakistan.
According to PTA data, approximately 100 million people in Pakistan use WhatsApp, collectively exchanging around 12 billion messages every day.
With WhatsApp serving as a major communication platform for personal and professional interactions, the protection of accounts linked to inactive or recycled mobile numbers has become an important digital security concern.
The PTA-Meta initiative is expected to reduce opportunities for fraud, improve account security and protect users from the potential misuse of reassigned mobile numbers.
The authorities have not specified when the monthly information-sharing process will begin or how users affected by account deactivation will be notified.
