The fix Telegram is working on would allow users to disable matching by phone number. Protesters use encrypted apps like Telegram to mobilize swiftly through multiple group chats, with less risk of police infiltration, an in-depth report published by Reuters earlier this month said. Thousands of Hong Kong protesters take their cues from more than 100 groups on Telegram, according to protest organizers and supporters. It declined to comment about whether it had tried to identify protesters by using the Telegram app.Ĭhina’s Foreign Ministry, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of business hours. Hong Kong’s Security Bureau told Reuters it has “been acting responsibly to deal with the current difficult time with a view to restoring the public order”. The update to Telegram, planned for release over the next few days, will allow protesters to prevent mainland Chinese and Hong Kong authorities from discovering their identities in the app’s large group chats. FILE PHOTO: Protesters check their phones as they take part in a protest inside the Yuen Long MTR station, the scene of an attack by suspected triad gang members a month ago, in Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, China August 21, 2019.