WhatsApp: Latest News and Updates | South China Morning Post

TOPIC

/ company

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

The scammers promised discounts through prepaid petrol cards and lured the victim into making immediate purchases, police say. Photo: Sam Tsang

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong car owner loses HK$500,000 in fuel membership card scam

Fraudsters exploit surging fuel prices by offering bogus prepaid petrol card deals, police say.

8 Apr 2026 - 7:46PM

United States

Meta and Google liable for damages in landmark US addiction trial

26 Mar 2026 - 1:39PM

Social media

Meta ordered to pay US$375 million in New Mexico child safety trial

25 Mar 2026 - 9:26AM

Artificial intelligence

Tencent adds ClawBot plug-in to WeChat amid OpenClaw boom and privacy warnings

With over 1 billion users, WeChat becomes Tencent’s biggest OpenClaw campaign, bringing into focus opportunity and regulatory caution.

23 Mar 2026 - 10:30PM

Tencent is seeking to capitalise on the OpenClaw craze. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Most of Ukraine’s Chernihiv region has no power after Russian attack

Meanwhile, although Putin’s regime has thwarted protests over the blocking of the popular messaging app, Telegram, there is still discontent.

21 Mar 2026 - 8:15PMvideocam

Scams and swindles

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

12 Mar 2026 - 8:17PMvideocam

Russia

WhatsApp accuses Russia of blocking service to force users to state ‘super-app’

WhatsApp and Telegram sound the alarm as the Kremlin chokes off Western apps to promote MAX, a state-backed rival modeled after China’s WeChat.

12 Feb 2026 - 6:57PM

Meta criticises Russia for erasing WhatsApp from national records, calling the shift to state-run MAX a setback for safety. Photo: Reuters

India

India tightens social media grip as Meta, YouTube, X face 3-hour takedown rules

New rules tighten compliance deadlines, forcing platforms to remove flagged AI-generated content and misinformation within hours or face legal action.

10 Feb 2026 - 9:38PM

Artificial intelligence

China’s cloud giants race to support Moltbot, the ‘AI that actually does things’

Hyperscalers embrace the AI agent, which can execute tasks without step-by-step instructions, but privacy concerns loom large.

29 Jan 2026 - 8:00PM

Malaysia

Malaysia moves to regulate WhatsApp, Facebook and others under online safety law

The decision to deem major platforms licensed regardless of application closes a regulatory gap, but questions remain over enforcement.

1 Jan 2026 - 5:50PM

Young women using a smartphone in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From January 1, major social media and messaging platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia are treated as licensed under a new online safety regime. Photo: AP

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong online investment scams surge 20% as losses hit HK$3.08 billion

80 per cent of all fraudulent messages disseminated through Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

22 Dec 2025 - 11:37PM

Hong Kong residents lost HK$6.43 billion to various scams over the first 10 months of 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse

Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:29PMvideocam

Scams and swindles

How the global grey market in SIM cards powers fraud and influence

How much does an army of bots cost? A new study reveals how likes and clout are bought.

12 Dec 2025 - 2:39PM

Hong Kong youth

Opinion | Why Hong Kong’s youth must be key part of city’s mental health support

When young people are involved in designing interventions, those interventions are more culturally relevant, better used and more sustainable.

9 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

The number of students struggling with mental health issues rose 27 per cent between 2023 and 2024. Photo: Elson Li

Australia

Fight’s over: YouTube becomes last major platform to accept Australia’s age rule

Despite agreeing to comply, YouTube maintains that it is still ‘fundamentally different’ from other social media services.

3 Dec 2025 - 10:52AM

Six-year-old Enrique Navarro watches a show on YouTube at his home in western Sydney on October 30. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Families frantically seek loved ones as scores missing in Hong Kong fire

Authorities have reported 279 people missing as search and rescue operations press on.

27 Nov 2025 - 7:01PM

Australia

Snapchat makes Australian teens verify age as social media ban looms

From December 10, social media platforms in Australia must remove users aged below 16 or face fines, in one of the strictest bans globally.

24 Nov 2025 - 5:27PM

Singapore

Singaporean Amos Yee released on parole from US prison after child porn sentence

Amos Yee, a registered sex offender, was sentenced in 2021 to six years’ jail by a US court for possession of child pornography and grooming.

20 Nov 2025 - 11:27PM

Amos Yee stands outside the US Citizenship and Immigration Services offices after his release from detention in Chicago, Illinois in September 2017. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia

Isis-linked group used video games to radicalise Indonesian children: police

Over 110 children have been targeted by terrorist recruiters this year alone, a ‘massive’ spike from 17 between 2011 and 2017, police say.

19 Nov 2025 - 4:35PMvideocam

United States

Meta defeats US antitrust case over Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions

The ruling gives Big Tech its first decisive win against the antitrust crackdown started in Trump’s first term.

19 Nov 2025 - 7:19AMvideocam

Nepal

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

15 Nov 2025 - 1:00PMvideocam

Protesters burn tyres in Kathmandu earlier this year. Following the protests over social media bans and government corruption, Nepal lifted its restrictions. Photo: AFP

Artificial intelligence

Meta Platforms’ AI lay-offs triggered by resource competition: ex-researcher

Tian Yuandong says internal conflicts emerged at Meta as LLM development became the industry-wide focus.

13 Nov 2025 - 9:00AM

Meta Platforms let go of around 600 employees from its legacy AI research unit. Photo: Shutterstock

Singapore

Singapore police grab 2 Malaysians after woman hands over gold to fake officials

Over US$350 million has been lost to scams in the first half of the year, according to Singapore police.

10 Nov 2025 - 9:58AM

Malaysia

Meta disagrees with Malaysia’s social media licensing framework, proposes talks

Malaysia says its licensing rules are aimed at curbing scams, online gambling and child pornography.

29 Oct 2025 - 5:33PMvideocam

Indonesia

Asian Angle | TikTok Live blackout in Indonesia exposes fragility of digital freedoms

The suspension shows how global platforms are intertwined with state power and digital infrastructure can be disabled in a political crisis.

27 Sep 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

TikTok in Indonesia halted its live feature on August 31 over safety concerns amid the protests and described the suspension as “voluntary”. Photo: Shutterstock

Nepal

Nepal’s prime minister resigns over deadly anti-corruption protests

K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned after 19 people were killed in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

10 Sep 2025 - 3:15PMvideocam

Nepal

Nepal’s Gen Z revolt turns deadly as police fire on protesters, killing 19

The government’s lethal crackdown on young protesters has deepened a crisis sparked by a social media ban and long-standing corruption.

9 Sep 2025 - 12:29PMvideocam

Nepal

Police in Nepal open fire on pro-social media protest, killing 17

The Gen Z-led protest was held to condemn a government attempt to regulate social media that blocked Facebook, X and YouTube, among others.

9 Sep 2025 - 8:57AM

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WhatsApp

Hong Kong car owner loses HK$500,000 in fuel membership card scam

Fraudsters exploit surging fuel prices by offering bogus prepaid petrol card deals, police say.

Meta and Google liable for damages in landmark US addiction trial

Meta ordered to pay US$375 million in New Mexico child safety trial

Tencent adds ClawBot plug-in to WeChat amid OpenClaw boom and privacy warnings

With over 1 billion users, WeChat becomes Tencent’s biggest OpenClaw campaign, bringing into focus opportunity and regulatory caution.

Most of Ukraine’s Chernihiv region has no power after Russian attack

Meanwhile, although Putin’s regime has thwarted protests over the blocking of the popular messaging app, Telegram, there is still discontent.

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

WhatsApp accuses Russia of blocking service to force users to state ‘super-app’

WhatsApp and Telegram sound the alarm as the Kremlin chokes off Western apps to promote MAX, a state-backed rival modeled after China’s WeChat.

India tightens social media grip as Meta, YouTube, X face 3-hour takedown rules

New rules tighten compliance deadlines, forcing platforms to remove flagged AI-generated content and misinformation within hours or face legal action.

China’s cloud giants race to support Moltbot, the ‘AI that actually does things’

Hyperscalers embrace the AI agent, which can execute tasks without step-by-step instructions, but privacy concerns loom large.

Malaysia moves to regulate WhatsApp, Facebook and others under online safety law

The decision to deem major platforms licensed regardless of application closes a regulatory gap, but questions remain over enforcement.

Hong Kong online investment scams surge 20% as losses hit HK$3.08 billion

80 per cent of all fraudulent messages disseminated through Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

How the global grey market in SIM cards powers fraud and influence

How much does an army of bots cost? A new study reveals how likes and clout are bought.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Why Hong Kong’s youth must be key part of city’s mental health support

When young people are involved in designing interventions, those interventions are more culturally relevant, better used and more sustainable.

Fight’s over: YouTube becomes last major platform to accept Australia’s age rule

Despite agreeing to comply, YouTube maintains that it is still ‘fundamentally different’ from other social media services.

Families frantically seek loved ones as scores missing in Hong Kong fire

Authorities have reported 279 people missing as search and rescue operations press on.

Snapchat makes Australian teens verify age as social media ban looms

From December 10, social media platforms in Australia must remove users aged below 16 or face fines, in one of the strictest bans globally.

Singaporean Amos Yee released on parole from US prison after child porn sentence

Amos Yee, a registered sex offender, was sentenced in 2021 to six years’ jail by a US court for possession of child pornography and grooming.

Isis-linked group used video games to radicalise Indonesian children: police

Over 110 children have been targeted by terrorist recruiters this year alone, a ‘massive’ spike from 17 between 2011 and 2017, police say.

Meta defeats US antitrust case over Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions

The ruling gives Big Tech its first decisive win against the antitrust crackdown started in Trump’s first term.

Asian Angle | Nepal found out what Thailand already knew: digital repression is risky

The tactics vary, from Myanmar’s internet blackouts to Indonesia’s subtler control, but the results are the same: resentment and resistance.

Meta Platforms’ AI lay-offs triggered by resource competition: ex-researcher

Tian Yuandong says internal conflicts emerged at Meta as LLM development became the industry-wide focus.

Singapore police grab 2 Malaysians after woman hands over gold to fake officials

Over US$350 million has been lost to scams in the first half of the year, according to Singapore police.

Meta disagrees with Malaysia’s social media licensing framework, proposes talks

Malaysia says its licensing rules are aimed at curbing scams, online gambling and child pornography.

Asian Angle | TikTok Live blackout in Indonesia exposes fragility of digital freedoms

The suspension shows how global platforms are intertwined with state power and digital infrastructure can be disabled in a political crisis.

Nepal’s prime minister resigns over deadly anti-corruption protests

K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned after 19 people were killed in violent protests triggered by a social media ban.

Nepal’s Gen Z revolt turns deadly as police fire on protesters, killing 19

The government’s lethal crackdown on young protesters has deepened a crisis sparked by a social media ban and long-standing corruption.

Police in Nepal open fire on pro-social media protest, killing 17

The Gen Z-led protest was held to condemn a government attempt to regulate social media that blocked Facebook, X and YouTube, among others.

Opinion | Why Hong Kong’s youth must be key part of city’s mental health support