After stopping for more than an hour, WhatsApp is back to work

After stopping for more than an hour, WhatsApp is back to work

WhatsApp has returned to work after a sudden malfunction that stopped working completely for more than an hour.

And several countries reported today that the chat application, which is used by about two billion people around the world, has stopped.

Users of the Meta-owned application struggled to send and receive messages.

And the "Down Detector" platform, which monitors the performance of Internet sites and services, stated that it was first reported that there was a malfunction in the WhatsApp application at (7:20 am GMT).

For its part, the British newspaper "Daily Mail" indicated that the application stopped working shortly after it launched the "incognito feature" that allows the user to specify who can be seen when connected to the application.

On the other hand, other social networking services, such as Facebook and Instagram, are still working well.

Accusation of "bribery and espionage" Did China's intelligence really support Huawei in America?

The US court has issued indictments against two people, including charges of attempting to bribe a federal judge, as well as spying for Chinese intelligence in order to support Huawei communication technologies.

The US Supreme Court has charged two people with attempting to direct and engage in the bribery of a US government employee they believed to be a collaborator to provide confidential information about the Justice Department's investigation into the Huawei telecommunications company case, including information about witnesses, trial evidence, and any potential new charges.

Washington said the two were working for Chinese intelligence, joining other people who were covertly supplying technology for the same company. Since the era of President Trump, Huawei has been experiencing great American pressure, aiming to hinder its commercial progress and curb its access to the new fifth generation Internet technology.

13 spies and bribes

In the US Supreme Court's indictment, Zheng Wang and Guchang He were charged with working for the Chinese intelligence service and complicity in bribing a US law enforcement official, as part of an attempt to obtain inside information about a criminal case against the Chinese telecom company Huawei . .

According to US Attorney Merrick Garland, these two individuals, among others, tried to attract dissidents within the United States and pressure American academics and scientists to work with them in this regard. Garland said the cases showed that China "sought to interfere with the rights and freedoms of individuals in the United States and to undermine our judicial system that protects those rights."

On the case of “involvement in providing bribery to a government employee,” the US attorney general explained: “This was a heinous attempt by PRC intelligence officers to protect a company based in the People’s Republic of China from accountability and to undermine the integrity of our judicial system.”

According to the indictment, the Chinese agents paid about $61,000 worth of bitcoin in bribes to a US government official, who they believed had been recruited to work for the Chinese government, but in fact acted as a double agent for the FBI.

Separately, among similar cases revealed by Merck, are the case of seven Chinese accused of trying to force a US resident to return to China, as part of a forcible return campaign led by Beijing. As well as bringing charges against 4 other Chinese citizens, using an academic institute as a cover to try to buy sensitive technology and equipment as well as interfering in the protests that "would have embarrassed the Chinese government."

" The cases disclosed today are taking place against the backdrop of the PRC's malicious activity, which includes espionage, harassment, obstruction of our judicial system, and tireless efforts to steal US technology," Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said .

"Cold War mentality accusations" .. Beijing responds

For its part, the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not provide any comment on the US accusations, and Huawei was silent. However, Beijing's response this time came through its foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, who denied having knowledge of the details of the case.

Wenbin added, during a press conference , that his country "has always urged overseas Chinese citizens to comply with the laws and regulations of the host countries," referring to the accusations made against citizens as "from the Cold War mentality" and "based on flimsy foundations."

In turn, the Chinese official accused the United States of seeking to "suppress Chinese companies, provide public shelter to Chinese fugitives, and obstruct and undermine China's efforts to repatriate fugitives and recover illegal proceeds," describing these actions as "turning the United States into a safe haven for corrupt individuals and lawbreakers." The United States is putting them on the wrong side of justice and the rule of law."

Since 2019, the Chinese company Huawei has been facing widespread pressure from the US government to curb its technological development and fierce competition with local manufacturers. It was blacklisted to prevent it from acquiring basic US technology for its phones.

Under these US sanctions, suppliers who use any US technology to make components for Huawei must first obtain Washington's approval, which has effectively cut off the supply of many key parts. Since September 2020, the company is no longer able to supply its advanced devices with the new "Kerry" chips, for example, and does not have the ability to manufacture them internally. This cost the company billions of dollars in losses .