WhatsApp: Latest News and Updates | South China Morning Post

TOPIC

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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

Representatives from financial regulators, technology companies and telecommunications firms at the launch of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Anti-scam Consumer Protection Charter 3.0. Photo: Elson Li

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong tech and telecoms giants unite to combat online fraud

Seven social media platforms and six telecommunications firms commit to stricter checks and enhanced user safety under new charter.

9 Jul 2025 - 10:21PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 118 over e-commerce scams involving HK$5 million in losses

21 Jun 2025 - 5:32PM

Malaysia

Malaysians demand action against Facebook group exploiting schoolgirls’ images

12 Jun 2025 - 3:46PM

Malaysia

Malaysia orders telecoms firms to hand over user data, raising privacy concerns

The government claims it’s for a mobile project, but critics cite data security risks.

6 Jun 2025 - 11:15PM

Malaysian telecommunications companies have been ordered to surrender user data, sparking privacy fears. Photo: Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence

Mark Zuckerberg says Meta AI bot is used a billion times monthly

Use of Meta AI is growing the fastest on WhatsApp, the company says, as it competes against Google, Microsoft and OpenAI.

29 May 2025 - 1:15PM

Malaysia

Malaysia’s home minister ridiculed after his WhatsApp account hacked

Critics question how Saifuddin Nasution can keep the country safe if he cannot even secure his own phone.

27 May 2025 - 4:10PM

Wellness

How social media can be terrible for teens and the people fighting back

Phone and social media use have led to a youth mental health crisis and transformed teens’ lives but schools and governments are stepping in.

18 May 2025 - 9:45AM

Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the US Office of the Surgeon General.
Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Popular Hong Kong clinic chain in hot water amid suspected closure

Many customers outraged after prepaying thousands for their children’s vaccinations at clinics under Alliance Medical Group.

2 May 2025 - 12:07AM

E-commerce

Shein, Temu to increase US prices next week, reflecting new tariffs

In nearly identical statements, Shein and Temu said prices would increase following US policy changes expected to impact how they operate.

18 Apr 2025 - 5:30PMvideocam

E-commerce

Temu cuts US ads after Trump’s tariffs, as app downloads plunge

The Chinese-backed shopping app has been a significant advertiser since launching in the US in September 2022.

16 Apr 2025 - 8:17PM

Temu is slashing its ad spending in the US as President Donald Trump raises tariffs on Chinese goods. Photo: Reuters

Meta Platforms

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg testifies at landmark US antitrust trial

Meta is accused by Federal Trade Commission of abusing its market power to acquire Instagram, WhatsApp before they could become competitors.

15 Apr 2025 - 8:50AM

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen at the luncheon on the inauguration day of US President Donald Trump’s second presidential term in Washington on January 20. Photo: Reuters

Icons and Influencers

Who are Signal’s co-founders, Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton?

The Signal Foundation’s co-founders Moxie Marlinspike and Brian Acton both have a background in tech: Acton created WhatsApp before selling it to Mark Zuckerberg for billions – but later regretted it.

27 Mar 2025 - 6:00PM

Hong Kong economy

Tech giant Tencent launches Hong Kong academy with pupils to get AI training

WeTech Academy will offer training on artificial intelligence and programming to tens of thousands of Hong Kong pupils.

15 Mar 2025 - 6:06PM

Microsoft

Microsoft retires Skype, internet call pioneer

The platform revolutionised online communication with free calls between computers, before the rise of rivals like Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp.

1 Mar 2025 - 4:08AM

Over the years, and as internet speeds improved, Skype evolved to include video calls, instant messaging, file sharing and group communication features. Photo illustration: Reuters

Malaysia

In the battle against scams, Malaysians are now armed with a chatbot

Scammers on Hold AI aims to keep potential fraudsters engaged as long as possible and to annoy them to the point of giving up.

21 Feb 2025 - 4:55PM

Malaysian police estimated that Malaysian victims lost 432 million ringgit to Facebook scams alone in 2023. Photo: Shutterstock

Crime in Hong Kong

Hongkongers lose HK$200 million to scams in a week, AI voice-cloning used

Merchant swindled out of HK$145 million after scammers use artificial intelligence to mimic voice of financial manager of mainland firm.

9 Feb 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

Indonesia

Will Indonesia’s plan to restrict children’s access to social media succeed?

While many support the policy and say it should also limit screen time, others are concerned about implementation and data privacy.

17 Jan 2025 - 8:01PMvideocam

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

Donald Trump’s second term sees a shift from ‘America First’ to imperialist rhetoric, eyeing Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal, alarming allies. Photo: TNS

TikTok

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

Authorities in Venezuela say three adolescents died from intoxication by chemical substances.

31 Dec 2024 - 12:01PM

Facebook

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

WhatsApp, Meta’s messaging application, was also down for more than 1,000 users.

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

A prison vehicle brings Jimmy Lai to West Kowloon Court ahead of the second day of his oral testimony in his trial. Photo: Edmond So

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

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

WhatsApp and other apps have been banned from the mobile phones of Hong Kong’s civil servants. Photo: Shutterstock

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

Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan speaks outside Belfast Crown Court after prolific online predator Alexander McCartney was jailed for a minimum of 20 years. Photo: AP

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

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

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