# Researchers find WhatsApp chatbot instructions against recommending privacy regulators

_Published Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 9:08 AM EDT · AI, Policy · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Researchers find WhatsApp chatbot instructions against recommending privacy regulators — Primary](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTtrA7WSHbxSgTUKrOz8Swz6vdK1sarnVj8fCSEjFPdIMyLbOCOIytF60D82szAQpXLHR0mXI3j4zcIobCRS2g8ZI6GkbuLTHkoM4OmkUAWD0P1D1KyYuYrSxWvbq7Yy6zJ-B03VGWxy49q1BUF4owk5gUAVBBd6g2v7xl28TT_ax7Il5ixELfwcBawpA/s1700-nu-rw-lo-l85-e365/whatsapp-chatbot.jpg)

Data-deletion software company Redact published findings on October 19 showing that WhatsApp help pages contained hidden instructions telling its support chatbot not to recommend privacy regulators to users unable to delete accounts. Another block instructed it not to cite privacy laws after users mentioned legal action, The Hacker News reported.

Redact counted 102 hidden blocks across 80 help pages. WhatsApp said the instructions appeared in the pages because of a bug, now fixed; all blocks had been removed by October 18.

Redact examined the instructions rather than chatbot answers, so whether the chatbot followed them is unknown. WhatsApp's European privacy policy explicitly recognizes users' right to complain to a regulator.

## Sources

- [The Hacker News](https://thehackernews.com/2026/10/whatsapp-hid-instructions-in-help-pages.html)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/p1EkOPKkxhprVDZr-GOarY
Published: 2026-10-20T13:08:08.166Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-20T16:22:57.504Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)