Clubhouse, an American social voice App that has been popular for less than a week, was banned by the Chinese Communist Party tonight (Feb. 8). Netizens have expressed no surprise. Wang Dan, a leader of the June 4 student movement, tweeted, “As long as the CCP exists, don’t imagine a free internet.”
From 7 p.m. tonight, many Chinese netizens tweeted, “Clubhouse just got walled, this piece of free fun, just now there was a big chaotic chat between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, what a pity!” The company’s website has been a great source of information about the Internet.
Clubhouse is a social media software that integrates voice chat, online parties, and online symposiums. As tesla CEO Musk recently live-streamed on it and quickly exploded. Previously, Chinese netizens could access the platform without going over the wall to talk about topics that are untouchable in mainland China, so the platform also attracted a large number of Chinese users.
As a result of the “invitation code” necessary to register for a Clubhouse account, the highest price for an invitation code in China’s major popular online shopping platforms reached about 400 yuan, but currently, the invitation codes sold on Taobao and other online shopping platforms have all been removed from the shelves.
Some Chinese netizens in the Clubhouse chat room say that the software has not been completely “walled off” and that if you use a VPN (virtual private network) to enter the chat room and then turn off the VPN, you can continue to listen to the conversation in the room.
The Clubhouse software has reportedly caused a boom in discussions about China, with many chat rooms appearing on taboo topics about the Chinese Communist Party.
According to Radio Free Asia, in a chat room called “There’s a concentration camp in Xinjiang,” users from various countries and regions, including mainland China, shared their experiences and insights about the so-called re-Education camps in Xinjiang, as well as local ethnic minorities expressing concerns about the situation in Xinjiang. Journalists from the radio station and the Voice of America, as well as other international media, also participated.
There are also chat rooms on related topics such as the Hong Kong issue, the Taiwan Strait issue, and the June 4 issue.
Although it was revealed that the software’s sound technology is powered by the Chinese-owned audio technology company Agora, raising suspicions about the Chinese Communist Party’s role, many netizens have expressed concern about how long such “freedom of speech” can be maintained.
Now that the software was quickly banned by the CCP after less than a week, netizens have said they are not surprised.
Wang Dan, a leader of the June Fourth Movement, tweeted, “It’s not surprising that Clubhouse was blocked. The fact that it was not blocked a few days ago may be because bureaucratic operating procedures take Time, or it may even be that the parties concerned are gathering information. As long as the CCP exists, there should be no illusions about a free Internet.”
He added, “But at the same time, it is also important to see that with a little space and opportunity, China’s younger generation is eager to learn the truth and to discuss issues rationally, including the issue of unification and independence. This shows: there is always hope.”
Cheng Yizhong, a veteran Chinese media personality who now lives in New York, tweeted, “ClubHouse is being walled in wall country, as expected. You know, China is a country where even WeChat groups are regularly blocked and even private communications can be evidence of convicted speech; China is a 9.6 million square kilometer mental prison.”
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