A technical issue within WhatsApp has reportedly caused thousands of accounts worldwide to be blocked. Numerous users have taken to social media to report that their WhatsApp accounts were suddenly disabled and that they received a message stating their accounts were under review.
In a statement, Meta acknowledged the issue, saying it was caused by a technical problem that is currently being fixed.
The company said it is working to restore access to affected accounts. Many users reported that they were suddenly unable to use WhatsApp. Whenever they attempted to log in, they were shown a message saying that their account and device information were being reviewed to ensure compliance with WhatsApp’s terms of service, and that they would receive an update within 24 hours.
With more than 3 billion users worldwide, even a relatively limited technical issue could affect thousands of people.
Although Meta has confirmed the problem, it has not disclosed which regions were affected or identified the root cause of the issue.
Earlier, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) issued a set of security recommendations to help WhatsApp users protect their accounts from hacking and cyber threats.
The authority advised users to enable WhatsApp’s Security Notifications feature. To activate it, users should go to Settings > Account > Security Notifications and turn on the “Show Security Notifications” option. This feature alerts users whenever there is a security-related change to their account.
PTA also recommended linking a secure and active email address to WhatsApp. According to the authority, doing so will make it easier to recover an account in case it is hacked or if users face any account-related emergencies.
The authority further urged users to enable Two-Step Verification, describing it as an essential security feature that helps prevent hackers and cybercriminals from gaining unauthorised access to WhatsApp accounts.
PTA warned users against clicking on suspicious links, responding to unknown messages, or sharing verification codes with anyone. It said even a small lapse in caution could result in cyber fraud, loss of personal data, or financial damage.
The authority emphasised that by taking timely security measures, users can better protect not only their WhatsApp accounts but also their personal information, contacts, and overall digital security.