Encrypted Messaging App Signal Stops Working in China

[MacRumors]

Encrypted messaging app Signal appears to have been banned in China, reports TechCrunch. While the app remains available in the App Store, the service is no longer operational in mainland China, according to the censorship tracking website Greatfire.org.

Western-run social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been unavailable in the country for some time, but Signal has largely flown under the radar of China's authorities until now. Signal has yet to comment on the issue.

It's unclear what has caused the country's government to act and whether the ban is permanent, however Signal and rival service Telegram have both recently experienced a significant uptick in users following WhatsApp's bungled PR campaign explaining its upcoming privacy policy update.

Like Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp are still listed on the China App Store, although access to the services requires the use of VPNs – another category of apps that local authorities have cracked down on in recent years.

VPNs circumvent China's "Great Firewall" by routing and encrypting internet traffic to servers outside of the country, making them popular with privacy-conscious users who have limited access to online content because of government restrictions.

Article Link: Encrypted Messaging App Signal Stops Working in China

 

[piattj]

Blimey! Who'd have thought? SO out of character

 

[ArPe]

That’s a shame.

But on the plus side they block Facebook and Twitter. They should shutdown Weibo, Tiktok, Clubhouse and all other social media mind warping malware too. Then everyone in the world will see the benefit of a mentally healthier natural thinking society and follow.

We lose nothing without social media. Word of mouth, traditional advertizing and product placement has always been the greatest and most reliable promoter of good businesses and we don’t get spyware crap from word of mouth.

 

[Steve121178]

Word of mouth has always been the greatest and most reliable promoter of good businesses and we don’t get spyware crap from word of mouth.

Yes, because humans are incapable of being dishonest & telling lies. Oh wait...

 

[Mike_Trivisonno]

They can't take a chance on the plebs seeking to advance the cause of individual liberty and freedom of thought. Just shut up and work on your social score so you can ride the fast train, dumb pleb.

 

[vicviper789]

Don’t worry, Tim Cook will personally take Signal off just for them!

 

[ArPe]

Yes, because humans are incapable of being dishonest & telling lies. Oh wait...

You’re not making sense. If a human you know tells you a restaurant is great and you go there and it sucks then you can tell your friend they are dumb.

On social all these pages are full of garbage fake reviews, fake followers, fake likes. You know this very well so don’t play dumb.

Restaurants are even giving fake reviews to each other to kill each other’s business. That’s impossible to do with natural organic communication.

 

[NMBob]

Gee, sounds almost like the US. Don’t like something? Shut it down.

 

[Steve121178]

You’re not making sense. If a human you know tells you a restaurant is great and you go there and it sucks then you can tell your friend they are dumb.

On social all these pages are full of garbage fake reviews, fake followers, fake likes. You know this very well so don’t play dumb.

That's my point though. We can be misled by any information we consume.

 

[ArPe]

That's my point though. We can be misled by any information we consume.

But you made a false equivalence. People are accountable in the real world. Online is just a bunch of random likes and followers from a farm in Vietnam with no accountability.

 

[souko]

This is crazy. Communist dictatorship should end soon.

 

[Rob_2811]

Tim would've just taken this off the app store, they only had to ask!

 

[ruka.snow]

This is crazy. Communist dictatorship should end soon.

The end of dictatorships would be good, but has to be home grown movements. Regards to communism, when that does come it'll be lovely. China is not communist; communism doesn't support billionaires, a middle class that is larger than the population of the USA, private business, and dictatorships.

If China where communist then their entire population would be equally wealthy with no prospect for areas of extreme poverty and extreme wealth.

China is more akin to the USA, except in the USA they can vote in a different dictator every four years from a choice of two.

 

[m2m2k]

Is the fact that iMessage works in China telling something?

 

[TehFalcon]

The end of dictatorships would be good, but has to be home grown movements. Regards to communism, when that does come it'll be lovely. China is not communist; communism doesn't support billionaires, a middle class that is larger than the population of the USA, private business, and dictatorships.

If China where communist then their entire population would be equally wealthy with no prospect for areas of extreme poverty and extreme wealth.

China is more akin to the USA, except in the USA they can vote in a different dictator every four years from a choice of two.

China is 100% communist and the only billionaires are the ones supported by the government, typical. Literally the opposite of the USA.

The US also doesn't have a "dictator", comparing any US President to a dictator shows a huge ignorance on history and the current Chinese government.

 

[TehFalcon]

Is the fact that iMessage works in China telling something?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$. It's Simple. Apple is the most valuable company, and being American it would be a political disaster to block their service, especially with how much they support the Chinese economy.

 

[H2SO4]

Blimey! Who'd have thought? SO out of character

It's pretty terrible of them actually and someday they will learn you can't treat people like that, hopefully not too far into the future.
Also you say that but just remember what Snowdon revealed about the US authorities. Sort of like. You can have your 'freedom', but we're going to monitor it.
When we don't like what we see we'll take you to a foreign country and deal with you there.

 

[casperes1996]

Important note to everyone complaining that Apple/Cook is behind this; They are not. The article explicitly says the apps are still available in the Chinese App Store even. Now if the government mandated Apple remove them, they would have to follow the law, but that hasn't even happened either. Apple has done nothing. This is a restriction of The Great Firewall.

 

[souko]

The end of dictatorships would be good, but has to be home grown movements. Regards to communism, when that does come it'll be lovely. China is not communist; communism doesn't support billionaires, a middle class that is larger than the population of the USA, private business, and dictatorships.

If China where communist then their entire population would be equally wealthy with no prospect for areas of extreme poverty and extreme wealth.

China is more akin to the USA, except in the USA they can vote in a different dictator every four years from a choice of two.

It is not only about economy. It is about freedom of speech. About not to have privacy destroying CCTV cameras on every corner of every street. About not banning VPN, encrypted messaging apps. About ability of criticizing government. About possibility of live who we are.

China is communist dictatorship in many ways, even economy - banning billionaires who do not agree with chinese regime.


Trump was person with dictatorial tendencies. Fortunately democracy was stronger in the US.

 

[Steve121178]

This is crazy. Communist dictatorship should end soon.

Won't be ending any time soon in China.

 

[tridley68]

Aww poor communist country (NOT)

 

[Steve121178]

Trump was person with dictatorial tendencies.

No he wasn't.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Does China do anything about satellite Internet, like Starlink? Is it even possible to do something about it?

I suppose China could always twist Musk’s arm and tell him that he has to either block Starlink from working in China or they’ll just shut down the Tesla factory in China...

Although Musk could make the opposite threat... either allow Starlink or he’ll shut down the Tesla factory in China... we’ll see who needs who more...

Now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder about Apple and China. Who needs who there more? I guess Apple needs China from the way Apple doesn’t care about human rights the moment those humans are within China... although maybe that’s just exposing Apple as having never actually cared about them in the first place.

 

[souko]

Won't be ending any time soon in China.

Unfortunately you are probably right. What I say is more like wish.

 

[ruka.snow]

China is 100% communist and the only billionaires are the ones supported by the government, typical. Literally the opposite of the USA.

The US also doesn't have a "dictator", comparing any US President to a dictator shows a huge ignorance on history and the current Chinese government.

You can't be 100% communist and have billionaires nor a middle class. That completely flies in the face of what communism is. If you want a communist nation, all people are equal. Be it equally poor or equally rich as it is dependent on the output of the nation and not the individual.

And yes, a president(of any country) is an elected dictator of sorts. There are checks on that person's power, but they are still a dictator and you are voting for this person that can overrule the equivalent of a parliament. In a democracy, you have multiple political parties representing the people and voting on issues. You may have one dominant party and this will have a leader, however, that leader can be kicked out by their own party if they are crap at the job.