Guterres, Facebook Operations Chief Not Discuss Bezos' Phone Hacking - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th January, 2020) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres did not discuss the alleged Saudi hacking of Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos' phone when he met with Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, his spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Friday.

Guterres met with Sandberg earlier in the day on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"That topic did not come up," Haq said, when asked whether the alleged infiltration via WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, was addressed during the meeting. "There was not any discussion of particular cases."

Haq said that the two officials instead discussed a number of other online challenges, including hate speech and internet guidance.

On Wednesday, UN Special Rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye called for an immediate investigation into allegations that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman sent Bezos a message via WhatsApp that contained a malicious file in May 2018. Saudi Arabia has denied any wrongdoing, and its embassy in Washington said that reports claims to the contrary are "absurd."

Haq said that in the wake of reports about the alleged attack, the United Nations directed its senior personnel to not communicate via WhatsApp messenger.

According to the spokesman, the secretary-general does not use WhatsApp for his communications.