A vandalised bank during the 2019 protest. File photo: May James/HKFP. 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. Ng Man-ho, a 27-year-old computer technician, was convicted last month of seven counts of incitement charges after he made use of the 100,000-member Chinese-language channel that he runs and manages to post "seditious messages," which had been shut down since August 2020. Other crimes that the SUCK Channel incited under Ng’s watch included using corrosive chemicals to make explosives and causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The court also found Ng responsible for calling on people to assist protesters who clashed violently with police at several universities in November 2019. Ng, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, had been detained for more than 20 months. His channel was said to have contained around 120 messages and photos that incited others to vandalise pro-government shops and commit criminal damage targeting police stations.
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