In 2018, Telegram’s audience reached 200 million people, with 500,000 new users joining the messenger every day. It was launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android on 20 October 2013. The group also hosted discussions on committing arson, Judge Hui said, including setting roadblocks on fire, hurling petrol bombs at police stations and teaching people to make such weapons. The conversation linked to arson went on for two to three months, Hui said. With Bitcoin down 30% in the past week, some crypto traders have taken to Telegram to “voice” their feelings. The channel also called on people to turn out for illegal assemblies and listed the things that participants should bring along with them, showing prior planning was in the works for riots. The messages also incited people to hurl toxic gas bombs at police and MTR stations, he added. The public channel had more than 109,000 subscribers, Judge Hui said. Ng had the power to remove or amend the messages in the channel, but he “allowed them to exist.”
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