China Blocks Explosively Viral App Clubhouse

Right before being banned, the app was even hosting a chatroom dedicated to discussing the 1989 pro-democracy Tianamen Square protest.

Private Party

After a period of explosive worldwide growth for the voice chatroom app Clubhouse, Chinese authorities have decided to shut the service down in the country, TechCrunch reports.

The drop-in audio platform has been around for ten months or so, but it saw a massive surge in users when big names, notably Elon Musk, decided to make an appearance in recent weeks.

The Silicon Valley-based app drew in hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and has raced to the top as one of the most talked about new ventures — despite being invitation only.

But now, thousands of users in China say they're no longer able to access the service.

Firewalled

Clubhouse also has a moderation problem, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the surge of new users.

And if the service can't effectively moderate its platform, it shouldn't be a surprise that Chinese authorities aren't too keen on allowing it to operate in China either, as TechCrunch argues. China's Great Firewall has long blocked users from a great number of foreign websites.

Right before being banned, the app was even hosting a chatroom dedicated to discussing the 1989 pro-democracy Tianamen Square protest, perhaps one of the most controversial topics that Chinese censors target.

The move also didn't come as a great surprise to Clubhouse users in China, with rooms titled "How long will Clubhouse last in China" drawing big crowds, as TechCrunch reports.

READ MORE: Clubhouse is now blocked in China after a brief uncensored period [TechCrunch]

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