Whats App No Longer Welcome in China

China Bans WhatApp

        In one of the most recent developments in the technology circle, China has decided to block all text messages from the popular communication app. Previously, China has been determined to block all pictures and video chats. This is a huge development in the battle between the government of China and Facebook, who coincidentally owns WhatsApp. China has been the one major country that has refused to allow Facebook into it's borders since 2009, and this is another blow to Facebook's aspirations to expand it's reach into the population of China. 

        China has been one of the most censored countries in the world, in the sense that it's government doesn't allow any encrypted data into its borders. It also doesn't want outside photo or video streaming services in it's country because this makes it difficult to monitor what it's citizens will see from day to day. And because it is a communist country, it wants to keep a tight grasp on it's people's beliefs and values. Outside influences like Facebook and WhatsApp puts this at risk from their perspective. 


        This issue rises as the Communist Party Congress is in session next month, and surely there's a connection between what the Chinese Government wants to oversee in the sense of communication and connectedness among its people. WhatsApp is one of the most successful messaging platforms in the world, with over 1 billion people using it's services in over 180 countries. This has become a very powerful form of communication all around the world, and with it being connected to Facebook, the network has potential to become a global news provider, hypothetically. With more and more people joining the app every day, this seemingly has become a significant player in the communications market in China. Thus, China fought back to block the services for unknown, but skeptical reasons. 



        WhatsApp has become very prolific in international countries, primarily due to the fact that it's services are free as long as you have internet connection such as wifi. In fact, when I studied abroad this past summer, I couldn't use my regular service provider on my phone due to international complications. So I was a regular user of WhatsApp when i was in the presence of internet connection. It's free across international borders, as well as offers many other services such as group messaging, video messaging, phone calls, and you can even connect the app to your computer. All of this coupled with the fact that it is secured with end-to-end encryption means that you can do all of this, and be sure that no one but you and the person you are connecting with can see your messages or calls. This last detail is what the Chinese government refuses to accept, and why it will no longer be allowing the application to continue operations in the country. 

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