WhatsApp: Latest News and Updates | South China Morning Post

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The latest news, analysis and opinion on WhatsApp. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Chairman / President

Nitin Gupta

CEO / Managing Director

Will Cathcart

CFO / Finance Director

Jonathan Blames

Industry

Social media

Website

whatsapp.com

Headquarters address

1601 Willow Road, Menlo Park, California, 94025, USA

Year founded

2009

last updated:

30 September, 2024

Donald Trump

Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda shifts towards imperialist rhetoric

Trump’s rhetoric, reminiscent of 19th-century colonialism, has alarmed allies and emboldened adversaries, raising concerns about the potential for conflict.

10 Jan 2025 - 1:33AMvideocam

TikTok

Venezuela court fines TikTok US$10 million over viral challenge deaths

31 Dec 2024 - 12:01PM

Facebook

Facebook and Instagram down for thousands of users, WhatsApp also affected

12 Dec 2024 - 3:31AM

Singapore

Singapore saw 9,000 phishing takedowns, Meta says in scam centre alert

The company, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, said scammers in Southeast Asia were using sophisticated tactics to lure victims.

11 Dec 2024 - 9:46AM

Meta has taken down more than 2 million accounts linked to scam centres in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and the Philippines this year. Photo: Shutterstock

Jimmy Lai trial

Hong Kong’s Jimmy Lai denies pushing staff to draft sanctions list for US

Judges grill former media boss on ‘confidential’ US message he forwarded to staff and friends in opposition camp.

29 Nov 2024 - 1:00AM

Crime in Hong Kong

115 Hongkongers lose HK$22 million in a week in click farming scams

Police remind public to be wary of employment fraud schemes in which victims are baited with ‘commissions’ to boost online sales of products.

12 Nov 2024 - 6:11PM

Malaysia

‘We don’t know what to do next’: father of missing Malaysian teen speaks out

The parents of 17-year-old Erma Fatima Shamsul Bahari are still searching for any clues to her location two weeks after her disappearance.

10 Nov 2024 - 7:38AMvideocam

Girls make their way home after school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong politics

Editorial | Hong Kong’s civil servants get the app safety message

More secure services are needed for Hong Kong staff with the removal of unauthorised communication tools from work computers.

30 Oct 2024 - 7:45AM

Crime

Northern Ireland jails man who abused up to 3,500 girls online

One of his catfishing attacks, which occurred on social media platforms, led to the suicide of a 12-year-old US girl.

25 Oct 2024 - 11:39PMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong civil service ban on WhatsApp, WeChat won’t hinder work: minister

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung adds government employees have been given ample time to adapt to alternatives.

24 Oct 2024 - 5:00PM

Authorities earlier said they expected the ban would be fully in place by this month. Photo: EPA-EFE

Hong Kong science and tech

Hong Kong civil service restrictions on WhatsApp, WeChat necessary, experts say

Experts also call on government to improve risk intelligence systems and employee cybersecurity awareness.

23 Oct 2024 - 10:47PM

Personal awareness is the “weakest link” in cybersecurity, an expert says Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong politics

Hong Kong restricts civil servants from using WhatsApp, WeChat at work

‘Desktops used internally in the government cannot have instant messaging services such as WhatsApp or WeChat, as they carry severe internet safety risks,’ minister says.

23 Oct 2024 - 11:59AM

Crime in Hong Kong

81 Hongkongers swindled out of HK$12 million in online job scams in past week

One victim duped out of more than HK$400,000 in click farming job scam after receiving WhatsApp message, police say.

14 Oct 2024 - 7:05PM

Malaysia

Enticed by a fake ad, a Malaysian man lost US$6,000 in a sperm ‘lending’ scam

The scam exploited the victim’s poor literacy and used a local law firm’s name to appear legitimate.

24 Sep 2024 - 5:08PMvideocam

Enticed by a fake ad, a Malaysian man lost 24,000 ringgit in a sperm ‘lending’ scam. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Meta’s chatbot will speak in voices of celebrities like Awkwafina

Meta’s new feature comes after rival OpenAI introduced a ChatGPT voice that sounded like actress Scarlett Johansson, without her consent.

24 Sep 2024 - 12:00PM

Asian-American actress Awkwafina at the Emmy Awards on September 8. Photo: AP

Spain

Fake ‘Brad Pitt’ scams 2 women in Spain of more than US$360,000

Posing as the US actor, gang members allegedly promised a future with Pitt and proposed the women invest in projects that did not exist.

24 Sep 2024 - 9:17AM

France

Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

Investigators allege the Russian-born billionaire’s platform has been used for money laundering and drug trafficking, among other offences.

26 Aug 2024 - 5:21AM

Pakistan

Pakistan’s internet slowdown decried by investors and activists

Activists and business leaders decry the move by Pakistan’s government, saying the crackdown risks the country’s economic recovery.

18 Aug 2024 - 9:49PM

People work near the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) headquarters building in Islamabad on August 16, 2024. Photo: AFP

Cybersecurity

AI has made Hongkongers more vulnerable to fraud but is also used to fight back

Fraudsters are using AI to convincingly portray themselves as acquaintances and steal digital identities, driving demand for hi-tech cybersecurity solutions.

10 Aug 2024 - 12:00PM

Bangladesh

Nearly 100 dead as renewed anti-government protests rock Bangladesh

Bangladesh tightened a nationwide curfew and ordered a shutdown of mobile internet services to quell deadly protests.

5 Aug 2024 - 10:33AM

China economy

Opinion | China’s tourism policy must now go beyond visa-free travel

China must make it easier for foreigners to experience the country and citizens to travel abroad if it wants to reconnect with the world.

3 Aug 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

Britain

Ex-BBC anchor Huw Edwards pleads guilty to indecent child images charges

Edwards was the BBC’s highest paid journalist and top news anchor until he quit in April, following allegations he had paid a young person thousands of pounds for sexually explicit photos

1 Aug 2024 - 2:46AM

Former BBC news presenter Huw Edwards outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, UK on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

TikTok

TikTok fails to reverse EU decision that labelled it a ‘gatekeeper’ platform

TikTok owner ByteDance has lost a legal challenge that sought to reverse a European Union decision that the firm should not favour its own service over rivals.

20 Jul 2024 - 8:00AM

Cybersecurity

EU warns Meta over paid ad-free option on Instagram, Facebook

The company could face fines worth 10 per cent of its annual global revenues for breaching the Digital Markets Act.

2 Jul 2024 - 10:55AM

Crime in Hong Kong

Explainer | How to stay safe online with fraudsters targeting Hong Kong users of Instagram

Post examines the latest trends and ways to guard against online fraudsters.

26 May 2024 - 6:05PM

There is a rising trend of SMS messages asking users to reset passwords to allegedly hacked accounts, an expert has warned. Photo: Shutterstock

Malaysia

‘This is dangerous’: Ulu Tiram attack spotlights Malaysia’s Isis sympathisers

Initial reports linked Friday’s ‘lone wolf’ attack on a police station in Johor Bahru to al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Islamiah, but extremism experts say young Southeast Asians prefer pro-Islamic State groups.

24 May 2024 - 9:16AM

An Islamic State flag is seen on a wall in Iraq in 2017. Terrorism experts say young Southeast Asians “prefer to join pro-Isis groups” over Jemaah Islamiah. Photo: AP

Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong teacher ‘visited foot massage parlour not prostitutes on Wuhan trip’

Secondary school teacher was visiting massage parlour in his free time when police conducted a surprise operation there, according to Facebook post.

16 May 2024 - 5:52PM

Artificial intelligence

Why new Meta AI chatbot could make Instagram, WhatsApp dangerous

Meta AI recently brought assistants powered by generative AI to Instagram and WhatsApp. But beyond helping personalise social media, the technology may threaten democracy, and even freedom of speech.

7 May 2024 - 7:15PM

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