TAIPEI: Signal messaging app has become unusable for many people in mainland China this week, suffocating one of the latest widely used messaging apps that could send and receive encrypted messages in the country without a virtual private network.
The government’s apparent move to block Signal intensifies control of public and private discourse in China, where there are many social media and messaging apps, including Facebook,
Twitter and, more recently, the popular social audio platform Clubhouse, have been banned.
Signal users in mainland China began reporting problems with sending and receiving messages on the app around Monday evening. The use of a virtual private network or VPN, a tool that allows Internet users to circumvent China’s elaborate web filtering system, solved these problems, leading users to conclude that the application had been blocked in China.
Some also reported problems with registration, another common censorship practice that affected Clubhouse last month, where users cannot register with their phone numbers because the verification text code is never received.
The problems began Sunday and included log stoppages and networking, a person familiar with the matter said. The Chinese Cyber Administration, the country’s Internet regulator, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred a question about the apparent ban to the relevant department, but said the Chinese Internet is open and the government manages the Internet in accordance with the law.
The signal uses end-to-end encryption, which prevents third-party access to communications between the sender and receiver. It includes features such as the disappearance of messages and media and has been promoted as a private and secure communication tool. Similar encrypted messaging apps, such as Telegram’s WhatsApp and Facebook Inc., are also inaccessible in China without a VPN.
The signal rose in popularity last year among Chinese users after the US administration said it would ban WeChat,
China’s most popular messaging app, operated by Tencent Holdings Ltd. Discharges also jumped in Hong Kong after lawmakers passed national security legislation, suppressing pro-democracy protests.
WeChat uses client-to-server encryption, which gives Tencent full access to data between senders and recipients. The app is ubiquitous in China and is basically a necessity for everyday life thanks to its payment and messaging services. She is also known for her censorship of sensitive issues, such as political criticism or during the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan.
In February, Chinese censors blocked Clubhouse after the app began to gain strength in the country and sparked discussions on sensitive issues generally restricted in China, such as the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China or protests in China Square. Tiananmen.
“
“It has always been a surprise that Signal has lasted so long, as the goal of the app is to facilitate encrypted communications.”
”
As with Clubhouse, some saw the inevitable loss of Signal due to China’s expansive censorship apparatus and tighter controls over its Internet users.
“It has always been a surprise that Signal has lasted so long, as the purpose of the application is to facilitate encrypted communications,” said James Griffiths, author of “The Great Firewall of China: How to Build and Control an Alternative Version.” of the Internet “.
Yaqiu Wang, a Chinese researcher at Human Rights Watch in New York, said Signal was the latest encrypted messaging app that could be easily used to securely connect with friends and activists in mainland China.
While Signal can still work with a VPN, these have become more difficult to access in China in recent years after China tightened rules on the tool. At least hundreds of VPNs have been removed from app stores, while VPN users and providers have been fined.
“All of these indications indicate that it will become increasingly difficult for people to talk to people safely about sensitive issues,” Ms. Wang said. “I’m really concerned about communication for people in China.”
While there was no clear catalyst for the apparent ban, some experts speculated that Signal’s recent popularity among users on the continent could have contributed.
According to research firm Sensor Tower, downloads of Signal to iOS, Apple’s operating system, had gained strength in China over the past year before leaving in February and March. Signaling facilities reached a monthly high in August of 52,000, after the WeChat ban was announced in the U.S. and increased again in January, with about 49,000 installations.
However, Signal users in China are a fraction of WhatsApp or Telegram users, according to Sensor Tower data. Signal downloads on iOS have reached a total of about 510,000 in China, compared to 9.6 million WhatsApp installations and three million Telegram installations.
The signal was also blocked in Iran in January. The company has said it launched an alternative solution for this network block and was exploring other ways to circumvent the ban.
Write to Stephanie Yang to [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8