Ng Man-ho, a 27-year-old computer technician, was convicted last month of seven counts of incitement charges after he made use of the 100,000-member Chinese-language channel that he runs and manages to post "seditious messages," which had been shut down since August 2020. The court said the defendant had also incited people to commit public nuisance, with messages calling on them to take part in rallies and demonstrations including at Hong Kong International Airport, to block roads and to paralyse the public transportation system. Various forms of protest promoted on the messaging platform included general strikes, lunchtime protests and silent sit-ins. The channel also called on people to turn out for illegal assemblies and listed the things that participants should bring along with them, showing prior planning was in the works for riots. The messages also incited people to hurl toxic gas bombs at police and MTR stations, he added. During a meeting with the president of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) on June 6, Telegram's Vice President Ilya Perekopsky announced the initiatives. According to the executive, Brazil is the first country in the world where Telegram is introducing the features, which could be expanded to other countries facing threats to democracy through the dissemination of false content. So far, more than a dozen different members have contributed to the group, posting voice notes of themselves screaming, yelling, groaning, and wailing in various pitches and rhythms.
from us
