Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

WhatsApp ‘Exploited’ By Hong Kong Police To Collect Intelligence - Accounts Suspended

WhatsApp ‘Exploited’ By Hong Kong Police To Collect Intelligence - Accounts Suspended

In another blunt message to China, Facebook has slapped down attempts by the police in Hong Kong to use its WhatsApp messaging platform to collect intelligence on the pro-democracy protests. The plan had been to let members of the public message in photos and videos of protester activity. But Facebook stepped in and cut off the “hotlines,” which breached its “private use only without our permission” rules.

The suspensions started earlier in the week after accounts had been running for less than 72 hours. “The force found all of them inoperable on Friday morning.”

The police force itself claimed in a statement that it had “decided to suspend the hotline because of mixed reviews—the police will continue to explore various channels to collect information for the prevention and detection of crime.”

Facebook was clear that this wasn’t the case. The decision to cut the capability had been taken out of the hands of the police. A company spokesperson confirmed that “WhatsApp is primarily designed for private messaging and we take action to prevent bulk and automated messaging.”

The SCMP cited police sources admitting that the plan had not been well-prepared, the implication being that the action by Facebook was fairly predictable given the sensitivities involved. But the police isn’t done yet. “The force will look for more channels to serve the anti-violence hotlines.”

This was confirmed to the Hong Kong newspaper by a second source, who blamed the volume of messages, “as many as 10,000 at once,” for alerting Facebook. “Measures must be taken now to protect personal data, like names, addresses and photos, sent through the 10 hotlines.”

Facebook’s guidelines have been used on multiple occasions to stymie government abuse of its platforms, with misinformation campaigns using fake accounts and groups continually purged from its systems.

WhatsApp removes as many 2 million accounts per month for bulk or automatic behaviour. For the company, such behavior is fairly easy to detect. It’s a personal messaging platform - 1:1 chats and small groups. It is not a bulk spray service, and so its use here would have quickly stood out.

“Sometimes people attempt to exploit our service,” say the terms of use, “regardless of the intent, automated and bulk messaging violates our terms of service and one of our priorities is to prevent and stop this kind of abuse.”

This WhatsApp news follows earlier reports that the authorities were targeting large Telegram groups, this time operated by the protesters, to force real identities by abusing a sync loophole that enabled known contacts to bypass masking security settings. This prompted Telegram to change its platform to protect identities from the authorities. With more than 1,000 people arrested, the risk of a backlash against consumer messaging platforms is high.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×