Encrypted messaging service Signal banned in China

Encrypted instant messaging app Signal, which caught popularity when WhatsApp released its new privacy policy, has been blocked in mainland China. The news does not come as a surprise as China is a country where the government has a strict control over the flow of information. Signal has become the latest foreign social media service whose service has been blocked in the Asian country.

As on March 16, 2021, the users of the app in China had to connect with the help of a virtual private network (VPN), which is a service that allows the users to pass through the Great Firewall of China. It is a censorship system that blocks the services, websites and apps that have been deemed as inappropriate by the Chinese government. Signal was one of the new remaining messaging apps in China. It had allowed the users to engage in encrypted messaging.

The Chinese government has decided to silence Signal as it is looking forward to expand its controls to shape the public opinion. The users in China complained that they were not able to access the app without the help of a VPN app. The messages that were sent were failed and even the calls were not going through.

Signal’s latest status in China does not come as a surprise as the other services like Facebook, Google and Twitter have already been blocked for many years. In recent times, the social-audio platform Clubhouse was also blocked in the country. The app was blocked after the users in the app had started to take part in real-time audio discussions that were considered as sensitive by the authorities. One of the sensitive topics was about the mass detentions of Uighurs in Xinjiang. On the other hand Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson for the ministry of Foreign affairs in China said that he was not aware of the app being banned in the country.

Photo Credits: Cnet