Chinese users of the instant messenger app Signal knew that good times wouldn’t last long. TechCrunch tests have confirmed that the app, which was used for encrypted conversations, isn’t available in mainland China as of the morning of March 16th.
The app’s website has also been banned in mainland China since March 15, according to censorship tracking website Greatfire.org.
I didn’t get any immediate comments from Signal.
The encrypted chat app was one of the few Western social media accessible in China without a virtual private network (VPN). Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. have been blocked for a long time. In a sense, this ban is also a medal. It’s a testament to the app’s user base in China growing to the point of eye-catching.
Signal is still available for download on Apple’s China App Store as of March 16, indicating that Apple has not received a government order to remove the app. Signal was gradually expanding its horizons among tech-savvy and privacy-conscious Chinese users.
China’s elaborate Great Firewall has made many Internet users censorship evasion experts. Service bans are usually gradual, and the Clubhouse example illustrates this.
A handy audio app wasn’t available on the Chinese App Store, but users found a way to install it from an overseas App Store and were free to use it without using anti-censorship tools, but eventually the app’s API I was blocked.
Even after that, users in China realized that they could listen to the conversation by entering the room via VPN. Agoraga, which provides Clubhouse audio technology, is still accessible in China.
Like Microsoft’s search engine Bing, foreign apps and websites are blocked in China, but they can come back. It’s unclear if the Signal ban is permanent, but given the growth of the app, this could put an end to its short lifespan in China.