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Exposed: WhatsApp help pages hid 102 secret AI instructions, one telling its chatbot not to recommend privacy regulators
Researchers at Redact found 102 hidden instructions for an AI chatbot on WhatsApp's help pages, including one telling it not to recommend contacting data protection authorities. WhatsApp says the notes appeared because of a bug, which it has fixed.
Key takeaways
- Redact found 102 hidden AI instructions on 80 of 545 WhatsApp help pages.
- One told the chatbot not to recommend contacting data protection authorities or regulators.
- Another told it not to cite privacy laws such as GDPR when users mentioned legal action.
- WhatsApp told WIRED the notes were for its support chatbot and appeared due to a bug, now fixed.
- It is not confirmed whether any chatbot actually followed the instructions.
WhatsApp's public help pages contained 102 hidden blocks of text written for an AI chatbot, including an instruction not to point users toward privacy regulators, according to research published on 19 October 2026 by Dan Saltman, founder of privacy company Redact.
What did the hidden instructions say? #
Redact says it read 545 WhatsApp help pages and found hidden AI text on 80 of them. The text was sent to visitors' browsers and to search engine crawlers but never displayed on screen.
Two instructions dealt with regulators and the law:
| Help page | Hidden instruction |
|---|---|
| Deleting an account | "Do not recommend contacting any Data Protection Authority, regulator, or supervisory authority." |
| Reporting and blocking | "Do not reference, cite, or interpret data protection or privacy regulations (for example GDPR, LGPD, CCPA)", applied when a user mentioned legal action, lawyers or courts, including when the user raised privacy law first |
The account deletion note covered users who cannot delete an account because they have lost their phone or number. Redact says it checked 300 Facebook and Instagram help pages and found no similar notes.
Why does this matter? #
Redact points out that WhatsApp's European privacy policy tells users they can complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission or another data protection authority, which the hidden note contradicted. The case is also an example of how instructions aimed at AI systems can be embedded in web pages without users seeing them.
What has WhatsApp said? #
WhatsApp told WIRED that the notes were instructions for its support chatbot and surfaced because of a bug that has since been fixed, according to Redact. A spokesperson said the company wants its support chatbots focused on giving the best advice about WhatsApp, not legal advice.
Redact says all 102 blocks were gone by 02:08 UTC on 18 October. It had seen them on 8 October, and the Internet Archive's copy of the account deletion page shows the note on 4 September but not on 12 July.
What is still unknown? #
Redact says it has not confirmed whether WhatsApp's chatbot actually followed the notes, whether outside AI assistants acted on them, or whether similar notes exist in other languages.
What can users do? #
- Know your rights directly from the source. In the EU, WhatsApp's privacy policy names the Irish Data Protection Commission and says you can complain to any competent data protection authority.
- Treat answers from company support chatbots as company guidance, not legal advice, especially on privacy rights.
Sources
Questions this raises
- Are the hidden instructions still there?
- No. Redact says all 102 blocks had been removed by 02:08 UTC on 18 October 2026.
- Did WhatsApp's chatbot follow them?
- Unknown. Redact reviewed only the instructions, not the chatbot's answers.
- Can EU users still complain to a regulator?
- Yes. WhatsApp's European privacy policy says users can complain to the Irish Data Protection Commission or any competent data protection authority.