back to article No Telegram today, protestors: Chinese boxes DDoS chat app amid Hong Kong protest

Chat app Telegram has reportedly been DDoS'd, with its downtime coinciding with protests in Hong Kong against repressive new Chinese laws. The traffic crapflood resulted in the app, which is advertised as being "privacy-focused", going offline to users "in the Americas", according to the firm, as well as unspecified "other …

  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Democracy is an eternal uphill battle

    We would do well to remember that we are not safe either : complacency is the preferred attitude as far as TLAs are concerned. And if they get caught, they just trot out something about defending the people and mention terrorism, and we go back to sleep.

    I wish all the best for the people waking up to the true nature of their government, but we should not forget to remain vigilant ourselves.

    1. Ben Tasker

      Re: Democracy is an eternal uphill battle

      But unfortunately it's so, so much easier to say "It could never happen here" whenever someone raises concerns, so most people do exactly that.

      Yes, that power could be misused by an authoritarian Government, but we've never had one so why would be worried.... usually said while ignoring things like the powers having been pushed through despite widespread opposition.

      1. Mark 85
        Black Helicopters

        Re: Democracy is an eternal uphill battle

        But unfortunately it's so, so much easier to say "It could never happen here"

        Head in The Sand Syndrome surely. We're seeing this everywhere including the US, GB, etc., etc. They use same tired excuses while tightening the noose. I hope, that it's not too late for the citizens to rise up and take their countries back.

        Must have hit a sore spot with someone.... incoming choppers.

  2. J.G.Harston Silver badge

    I'll give you a pass on "century" for 99 years, but it was only the New Territories that was leased, the rest was in perpetuity. In Reg-speak it could be "when the century-long lease on the suburbs ran out".

    1. quxinot

      So like the album reference in the first line--that actually was out more than a decade ago?

      Time flies, etc.

      I really hope the Chinese people get a better democracy than that album.

      1. randon8154

        I really hope they will fight for it before foreign country decide to end the chinese expansionism, this is sadly the only issue, no talk, justice, compromise, fairness possible with this government, violating treaty, international law, ingerence, censorship, propaganda, murder... domination by any means at any cost.

        Hongkongers knew it was only a matter of time, as it is for the rest "free world".

    2. Allan George Dyer
      Big Brother

      "the rest was in perpetuity"

      To be fair, the CCP always insists that they were unequal treaties, imposed by force, and therefore are invalid. And they have more guns now.

      1. Claverhouse Silver badge

        Re: "the rest was in perpetuity"

        Much the same justification as the quintessential fathead Boris gives for reneging out an agreed amount, playing to a gallery of fools, or Trumpo's economic policy to other countries, including China.

        19th century outsiders penetrated very little of that magnificent, yet feeble in it's dotage, land, and certainly made very little worse for it's misfortunate inhabitants --- yet much like Trump's America, they blame the 'Other' as deflection from their then gross mismanagement.

        And yeah, opium. WTF cares ? Had I been a Chinese worker then or now I'd take all the opium I could get.

        1. Allan George Dyer
          Big Brother

          Re: "the rest was in perpetuity"

          @Claverhouse "Had I been a Chinese worker then or now I'd take all the opium I could get."

          According to the most recent report on traditional industries released by the HK Government, Heroin remains the most popular, but Cannabis is rising fast in the younger age group.

  3. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Snip

    I wish telecoms were more active about disconnecting abusive peers. There's no excuse for long-term botnet hosting.

    1. leexgx

      Re: Snip

      In the uk BT just flat out traffic shapes all traffic to about 100 kbs (I have to use a vpn/or hotspot from phone to download drivers if it's cn hosted)

  4. nacanaca
    Alien

    Yeah, no...

    "A century of British colonial rule left Hong Kong with laws and customs rooted in the democratic tradition"

    That's a nice fiction, but democratic reforms and the first local election for HK governor only happened as the British were leaving, and the colonial administration were far from tolerant of protests -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_1966_riots is just one example

    HK is more of a modern liberal and democratic society now than it was in 1997: the first female governor, gay sex no longer illegal, regular strikes and protests...but it's got all the usual trappings too: corruption, fake news, the 1%...seems like all the world's governments are converging to the same thing.

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