INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Streets in Kashmir are mostly deserted since the lockdown came into effect on 5
August
Users in Indian-administered Kashmir are being kicked off WhatsApp because of inactivity, the TheIndianSubcontinent
has learned.It is a side-effect of the four-month internet blackout, imposed by the Indian government after the region was stripped of its
autonomy in August.Facebook, which owns the WhatsApp messaging service, said users would need to be re-added to groups "upon regaining
access to the internet".India has 400 million WhatsApp users, making the country its biggest market.In a statement, a WhatsApp spokesperson
told the TheIndianSubcontinent it "cares deeply about providing users everywhere with the ability to privately communicate with their
friends and loved ones".But it added: "To maintain security and limit data retention, WhatsApp accounts generally expire after 120 days of
"When that happens, those accounts automatically exit all their WhatsApp groups
People will need to be re-added to groups upon regaining access to the internet and joining WhatsApp again." In August, the Indian
government revoked part of the constitution that gave Indian-administered Kashmir special status
The region was stripped of its autonomy and split into two federally-run territories, with most of the state's political leaders and workers
incarcerated.Justifying the internet blackout, India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said social media and the internet had been
used to radicalise people.
