For hours now, WhatsApp users around the world have been reporting that their accounts have mysteriously been blocked and placed under review. The social media giant has acknowledged the issue, stating it is working on restoring access to these accounts.

The company claims that its action is part of efforts to prevent service abuse, but such blanket measures can be inconvenient for users. When individuals tried accessing their accounts, they were met with a message: “Your account activity and device info is being checked to make sure it follows our Terms of Service.”

Meta’s popular chat app boasts over 3 billion monthly active users globally. Such a disruption, even if small, can impact thousands of people. The company has not specified which regions were affected or the exact cause of the issue.

The spokesperson for Meta stated: “We are always working to stay ahead of those trying to abuse our service and ban accounts to help keep other users safe. Sometimes we get this wrong, and if we do, we try to fix it as quickly as possible to get people back to chatting.”

While the issue has been resolved for most affected users, questions remain about Meta's methods of account review.