Jakarta. Indonesia’s Communications and Digital Ministry has summoned Meta to seek an explanation over a wave of complaints from WhatsApp users whose accounts were suddenly blocked.

Alexander Sabar, director general for digital space supervision at the ministry, said officials met with Meta representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday to discuss the issue, particularly the problems affecting WhatsApp users.

The ministry had previously sent a letter to Meta on Aug. 14 seeking clarification over the large number of WhatsApp accounts that had been blocked.

Alexander said Meta had not responded by the end of the following week, prompting the ministry to require company representatives to appear in person and provide an explanation.

“As there was no response from Meta by the end of working hours, we summoned Meta to attend in person and provide a direct explanation to the government,” he said.

Complaints about sudden WhatsApp account bans have emerged in several countries, including Indonesia. Some users said they were unable to access their accounts and were told that their accounts were “under review.”

When attempting to access their accounts, users were shown a notification saying WhatsApp was reviewing their account activity and device information to determine whether they complied with its Terms of Service.

The notification said the review would normally be completed within 24 hours.

Meta has previously acknowledged an issue affecting some WhatsApp accounts and said it was taking steps to restore access for affected users.

The company said WhatsApp routinely monitors accounts suspected of abusing its services and blocks suspicious accounts as part of efforts to protect users.

However, Meta said its systems can sometimes make errors, resulting in legitimate accounts being blocked.

“We are working to fix this as quickly as possible so users can communicate again. We have taken steps to restore affected accounts,” a Meta spokesperson said.

The ministry’s meeting with Meta is expected to shed light on the cause of the account blocks and ensure that affected WhatsApp users regain access to their accounts.

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