9/6/2023 0 Comments Is whatsapp down in china![]() “By blocking WhatsApp, the authorities have shut down one of the few remaining free and encrypted messaging apps but, more importantly, they have also limited the ability for Chinese to have private conversations with their peers,” a Chinese censorship researcher known only by the pseudonym Charlie Smith, said in an e-mail. While WhatsApp encrypts all messages, WeChat conversations are routinely monitored. But the American app is increasingly being used by Chinese concerned about privacy or those communicating with friends or business contacts abroad. In China, WhatsApp pales in popularity compared with homegrown messaging service WeChat, which boasts more than 900m users. Recent months have seen Beijing restrict live streaming video apps, online video content, celebrity news and VPNs. Xi, who came to power five years ago, has pushed for tighter government controls on what information Chinese citizens inside the country can access in the name of “cyber sovereignty”. ![]() The ban comes as Chinese officials are preparing for a twice-a-decade leadership shuffle later this year, with various factions within the Communist party jockeying for control of key positions and president Xi Jinping likely to further consolidate power.Ĭhina operates the world’s largest censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, blocking thousands of websites including popular platforms such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube and a host of foreign news outlets.
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