Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

China appears to have blocked Clubhouse, the buzzy social-media app, after people in the country flocked to it to discuss politics

China appears to have blocked Clubhouse, the buzzy social-media app, after people in the country flocked to it to discuss politics

Chinese users were reportedly no longer able to access Clubhouse on Monday. The app had remained uncensored in the country.
Buzzy social media app Clubhouse appears to have been blocked in China.

The invite-only app remained uncensored in China until Monday, and people flocked to it to discuss political topics. Some Chinese users were paying more than $60 for an invite, and chat rooms were discussing Xinjiang's Uighur detention camps and Taiwan independence, Reuters reported.

Michael Anti, a journalist and political analyst in China, tweeted on Monday morning that "Clubhouse is now blocked in most cities in China."

Soon after, Li Yuan, tech columnist for the New York Times in Asia, tweeted: "My Wechat timeline is full of posts about Clubhouse being blocked in China. What a brief moment of free expression!"

Bloomberg reported that local users could no longer access the app.

The reported ban comes after Chinese users flooded Clubhouse to chat about politics and other sensitive topics. Unlike Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Clubhouse wasn't censored in the country. Conversations on the audio-only app aren't recorded, and it's available by invitation only.

Chinese users were so keen to access Clubhouse that they were paying between 50-400 yuan (between $7.73 and $69.59) on popular Chinese e-commerce sites for an invitation, according to Reuters.

Xinjiang detention camps, Taiwan independence, and Hong Kong's National Security Law have been popular topics of discussion in chat rooms, Reuters reported.

One Chinese language chat room on Sunday attracted 700 participants, who compared the political systems of China and Taiwan and expressed concern over the one-party rule in China, The Financial Times reported Sunday.

The app launched in early 2021 and had been downloaded 2.3 million times by January 31, according to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, per the BBC. The company said it has at least 2 million users, and was last valued by its venture investors at $1.4 billion.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk led a wide-ranging interview on Clubhouse on January 31 about his ambitions to colonize Mars and his love of memes. He finished the event by questioning Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev over the 0GameStop0 stock saga.

After Musk tweeted he would be speaking on the app, demand for invitations skyrocketed, and they began selling on sites like Twitter and eBay for up to $100 .

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on a Clubhouse talk show on Thursday evening to chat about futuristic tech.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×