WhatsApp blocked in China, though past bans proved temporary



WhatsApp has been widely blocked in mainland China by the country’s government, with text messaging as well as photo and video sharing not currently functional. However, WhatsApp had previously been blocked in the country and saw those blocks lifted within a few days, so it’s unclear how long the chat app may remain inaccessible.

The New York Times reported today that WhatsApp had been “broadly disrupted in China.” TechCrunch has received reports that while many users lost access beginning Sunday night, some in mainland China can still send and receive WhatsApp messages. WhatsApp declined to comment on the blockage.

WhatsApp’s ability to send videos, photos and files was blocked in China in July, but allowed again a few weeks later.



It’s possible that the shut down is in anticipation of the Communist Party’s congress to be held in Beijing next month. WhatsApp may have been targeted because of its strong encryption features lacked by services like Skype and Apple’s FaceTime that are allowed to operate in China. Encrypted messaging could be used by political dissidents organizing against the government.

If the ban is lifted, it could serve as a show of power by the Chinese government, and might dissuade users seeking to rely on an encrypted messaging service in the country. But if the ban is left in place, it could disrupt businesses that rely on WhatsApp to communicate with customers. It would also be a big step back for parent company Facebook’s relations with China.

Facebook has long been banned in mainland China, like other foreign social media broadcasting services. But Facebook was discovered to have built a Chinese version of its private photo-sharing app (Moments) in China, called Colorful Balloons, distributed under the inconspicuous company name Youge Internet Technology. It’s unclear whether the Chinese government was aware that Facebook was behind the app prior toThe New York Time’s expose.

Facebook reportedly built acensorship tool last year that could be applied to its main social network, which could appeal to Chinese regulators who currently maintain a ban on Facebook in the country. But the Colorful Balloons situation, the July partial ban of WhatsApp and today’s blockage could signal that Facebook’s relationship with China is fraying rather than strengthening.

As Facebook hits use growth saturation in many parts of the world, China remains an untapped opportunity for growth. The company has long held that partial access to its services, even with censorship, is better than no access, as it can connect people to loved ones and knowledge that can help them improve their lot in life. But working with censors and a government known for hostility toward human rights activists could force Facebook to contradict some of its values or leave dissidents vulnerable.

Given Facebook’s tricky situation at home in the U.S. as it deals with fake news and election interference initiated by Russian operatives, it may not have the bandwidth to focus on furthering relations with China.


Source: Techcrunch.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Posts you may like

Chimamanda ngozi adichie listed by Time's magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people

Image
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been selected as one of TIME magazine’s 2015 100 Most Influential People in the World. Her selection was based on her unique position as a literary success and an influential cultural voice. Adichie studied political science at Eastern Connecticut State University, and has a Masters degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters degree in African Studies from Yale. She has held fellowships at Princeton- where she taught a writing course-and Harvard. She is the first Nigerian recipient of numerous prestigious literary awards including the Orange prize, the National Book Critics Circle award, the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize and the Nonino Prize for fiction. She has, most recently, been shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC prize, the most lucrative literary award in the world. In addition, she was listed as one of the top twenty fiction writers under the age of forty by The New Yorker magazine. She has been awarded a Macarth
Read more

The former national team goalkeeper has said that neither Keshi or any other indigenous coach is good enough to manage the country’s senior

The former Nigeria player has said that no indigenous coach is good enough to manage the country’s senior national team In the wake of Nigeria’s poor outing in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and speculations whether coach Stephen Keshi’s contract as Eagles manager will be renewed or not, former international goalkeeper Emmanuel Babayaro has said the former Mali and Togo gaffer is not the right man to lead country’s senior football national team. Keshi had resigned from his role after Nigeria’s loss to France in the second round but later denied saying he only ‘bid’ his players farewell because he wasn’t sure if his contract would be renewed According to Babayaro, he is not assured that the ‘big boss’ is the best person to manage the Super Eagles. "I don’t think Keshi is the man for the job. I neve thought any Nigerian coach is the right person fo the Eagles,” africanfootball.com. "It has nothing to do with their abilities as coaches. As coach
Read more