WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular instant messaging app is currently facing some disruptions in China. Photos and videos sent via WhatsApp were reported to be blocked while some claimed to be unable to send text-based messages.
This new disruption comes ahead of China’s 19th Party Congress which is when internet censorship is often tighter than usual. While the rest of the world enjoys relatively unrestricted access, China’s Great Firewall restricts its internet users from accessing top global sites including Google, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. As an alternative, China internet users rely on homegrown platforms including Baidu, Weibo, WeChat and Youku.
For those wanting to access Facebook and Google services, you’ll need to get a VPN subscription. Alternatively, tourists can bypass the Great Firewall by using data roaming as your internet traffic is rerouted back to your home network. There were earlier reports that China is tightening controls on VPN usage but China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had clarified that they are only cracking down on companies using unauthorised VPNs.
It isn’t clear if this interruption to WhatsApp is a temporary one but we won’t be surprised if it eventually gets included in the list of blocked sites by China. So, if you’re planning on getting a local SIM without VPN subscription, WeChat is probably your best platform of connecting to the outside world.
