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 …

[Pascal Monett]

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.

[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.

[Mark 85]

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.

[J.G.Harston]

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".

[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.

[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".

[Allan George Dyer]

"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.

[Claverhouse]

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.

[Allan George Dyer]

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.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

Snip

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

[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)

[nacanaca]

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.