WhatsApp, a messaging App, has announced changes to its privacy policy, prompting a large number of unhappy customers to “migrate” to another messaging app, Signal, which is suspected to have been targeted by the Chinese Communist authorities and blocked. Chinese users can no longer use Signal directly, but must first use a VPN to climb the wall.
According to TechCrunch, Signal was no longer available in China as of Tuesday morning (16). And Greatfire.org, a website dedicated to tracking censorship, said that Signal’s web pages have been unavailable in China since Monday (15). The report described the ban as a sort of “badge of honor,” indicating that the foreign app has a large enough user base in China to attract the attention of authorities.
As of Tuesday (16), Signal was still available on Apple’s Chinese App Store, while the Chinese Android store, which is run by a third-party Chinese technology company that strictly adheres to the Communist Party’s censorship regime, has not been available.
Recent Comments