8 Applications and Websites Are Blocked in China

Can not update freely there
 Besides having The Great Wall, China is also famous for "The Great Firewall". The nickname was given to the East Asian country because they carry out massive censorship for applications and sites, especially those from Western countries.
This censorship began in the 90s. Reportedly many incidents caused it. The Chinese government claims that they fear the site and application will misuse the information of its population.

Then what are the applications and sites that are censored? Check out the following explanation!

1. Google

Imagine how difficult it would be to live without this search engine. The Chinese people cannot access all the services made by Google.

The reason, the Chinese government will not get anything from Google even though many people are accessing it. Instead, China has its own search engine, namely Baidu, Sogou, and others.

2. Instagram

If you visit China, don't expect to be able to update Instagram freely. Because the application is included in the list of blocking by the Chinese government. This is because, in 2014, pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong used the platform to popularize the protest movement to the government.

3. Facebook

Like Instagram, Facebook has also been blocked by the Chinese government since 2009. This follows the group of activists who use Facebook as their communication medium. Besides, they reasoned that this was an effort to succeed in local social media such as WeChat, Weibo, and others.

4. Blogging site

Blogging sites like WordPress, Blogspot, and Tumblr are also blocked by the Chinese government. This was done to limit the protests that the people often sent to the government.

5. LINE and KakaoTalk

The instant messaging application from South Korea is also not accessible in China. Apart from being made by other countries, the Chinese government feels that both applications are used by terrorist groups.

6. Twitter

Twitter is a great place to express opinions. Therefore, many protests can be expressed through it. This made the Chinese government worried and quickly blocked the social media.

7. WhatsApp

In 2017, Whatsapp was officially unable to operate in China. Its end-to-end encryption is considered troublesome by the government. They cannot peek at messages sent via Whatsapp.

8. Other sites and applications

There are still many sites that are blocked by the Chinese government. Among these are online news portals from Western Countries, porn sites, and other sites that criticize the government. Also, video streaming sites and applications such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and Snapchat are not censored.

Censorship is not only done on the internet. The Chinese government also limits the circulation of western films in their theaters. Reporting from various sources, only 34 western films can be screened in a year.

What do you think about the actions of the Chinese government? Share in the comments column!