RESEARCHERS have uncovered hidden instructions in WhatsApp’s AI-based support system that told the chatbot not to recommend contacting privacy regulators when users were unable to delete their accounts. Redact, a privacy software company, found the concealed text on 8 October 2026. It examined and saved copies of all 545 pages linked from WhatsApp’s help centre and identified 102 instruction blocks distributed across 80 pages.
The instructions were embedded in the page code under a component named HelpContentGalaxyLLMInclude and did not appear in the on-screen articles viewed by users.
The findings suggest the guidance was intended to influence interactions with users seeking account deletion or reporting issues, with one block on the account-deletion page instructing the chatbot not to advise contacting any Data Protection Authority or regulator. Another set, on the reporting and blocking page, told the bot not to reference privacy laws when legal concerns were raised.
WhatsApp confirmed to WIRED that these were instructions for “WhatsApp Support with AI” and stated the aim was to provide product advice rather than legal advice. The company attributed the exposure to a bug and said it had been fixed, but it remains unclear whether the instructions were removed from internal systems. The discrepancy raises questions about user awareness of available remedies and whether regulators and privacy rights could be obscured during difficult account-deletion scenarios.