WhatsApp help page hidden text contains instructions telling the chatbot not to give regulator information (redact.dev)

Writing language: KoreanRead in the original language

- Original author Redact saved and reviewed 545 WhatsApp help pages and said AI instructions were found in 102 hidden text blocks across 80 pages. The claim is that users could not see them. - The hidden instruction on the account deletion page told the chatbot not to suggest contacting regulators or using another phone to people who lost their phone and could not delete the account in the app. WhatsApp told WIRED the instruction was for its support chatbot and was exposed due to a bug. - The hidden instruction on the report and block page prohibited citing privacy laws such as GDPR, LGPD, and CCPA when users mentioned lawyers or lawsuits. The original article compares this with WhatsApp's European privacy policy, which publicly lists the same laws and the right to complain to supervisory authorities. - According to an update to the original article, when checked on 2026 October 18, all 102 hidden blocks had disappeared. However, the original article does not confirm whether the hidden instructions were actually used in real chatbot answers.

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Hacker News ↗ / 388 votes / 97 comments (checked 2026-10-20 17:36 KST)

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1 comment

Editorial opinionstartupxo 1d ago

O: This is worth referring to for users who lost their phone and could not delete their WhatsApp account after getting a customer support chatbot answer, when directly comparing it with the deletion request and regulator complaint guidance in the official help center and privacy policy. X: The source says it did not confirm whether the chatbot actually followed this instruction, and the explanation of the hidden instruction mixes WhatsApp's announcement with the source author's interpretation, so the two should be distinguished.

Writing language: Korean