BEIJING (AFP): Encrypted messaging app Signal, which rose to prominence following WhatsApp’s new terms and service, appeared to no longer be working in China without the use of a virtual private network (VPN), users in the country said.
Signal’s website was also inaccessible in China, according to the GreatFire.org website which tracks online censorship in China, while the app remains available on China’s App Store as of Tuesday morning.
The app was already unavailable on third-party Android stores in China, where Google services are largely blocked. On several occasions, the app had previously stopped working in China without VPN for no reason given.
Signal’s press team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Cyberspace Administration of China could not immediately be reached for comment.
China’s cyber authorities have become increasingly strict in recent years, widening the scope of apps, media outlets, and social media sites banned in the country.
The iOS version of Signal has been installed close to 510,000 times to date in China, said research firm Sensor Tower. Globally, the app has crossed 100 million installs across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play combined.
In January, people around the world flocked to apps such as Telegram and Signal after the Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp tweaked its terms of service and sparked privacy concerns.
The WhatsApp policy update — later delayed — concerned how merchants using WhatsApp to chat with customers can share data with Facebook, which could use the information for targeted ads, according to the social network.
