In Hong Kong, people use their cell phones to engage in and organize protests. Protests in Hong Kong took place starting in 2019 to 2020. Protests occurred “in response to the introduction by the Hong Kong government of the Fugitive Offenders amendment bill on extradition”. By engaging in these protests, citizens used apps, such as FireChat and Telegram to organize these protests through the communication of these platforms. Information quickly spread and large crowds formed to protest. People also used communication platforms and apps in order to update the people of Hong Kong about the protests to let them know what was going on. Throughout the protests, tear gas was sprayed, and this enabled protesters to warn others through group chat apps, such as WhatsApp and FireChat. This demonstrates the benefits of cell phone usage in protests because people are able to communicate with others and warn them about any weapons that are being used by the police, like the spraying of tear gas. Keeping citizens is important when being involved in protests because it allows them to protect themselves and keep safe if there are deadly weapons involved.

While cell phones can be beneficial to organize protests and update society about what is happening, the use of cell phones can also be dangerous if they’re being used when participating in protests. Government officials and police were able to trace where people were in the protests by identifying their location and messages through their cell phones. An article by Insider mentions that Hong Kong seized over 3,700 phones from the people protesting leading to over 6,000 people being arrested. This shows how using cell phones can be dangerous when being involved in protests because police can identify anyone’s identity causing them to be punished. A phone that is confiscated by police allows them to go through it and search to find any information. The police searching through cell phones can result in anyone being put in jail due to involvement with the protests and for being possible suspects of violation.

https://www.businessinsider.com/hong-kong-police-seize-cell-phones-protesters-sparking-privacy-concerns-2020-1.

https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/29/world/asia/hong-kong-internet-youth-protest/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_2019%E2%80%932020_Hong_Kong_protests#:~:text=The%20founding%20cause%20of%20the,degree%20of%20autonomy%22%20in%20general.