---
title: "China Blocks Explosively Viral App Clubhouse"
description: "After a rapidly growing interest for the voice chatroom app Clubhouse, Chinese authorities decided to shut the service down in the country."
date: "2021-02-08"
modified: "2021-02-08"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-blocks-viral-app-clubhouse"
categories:
  - "Future Society"
tags:
  - "china"
  - "clubhouse"
  - "elon musk"
  - "the digest"
---

# China Blocks Explosively Viral App Clubhouse

![After a rapidly growing interest for the voice chatroom app Clubhouse, Chinese authorities decided to shut the service down in the country.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/china-blocks-viral-app-clubhouse.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## 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](<https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/08/clubhouse-is-now-blocked-in-china-after-a-brief-uncensored-period/>).

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](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-grills-robinhood-ceo-shutting-wall-street-bets-trades>), 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](<https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-where-are-the-adults-in-the-clubhouse/>), 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](<https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/08/clubhouse-is-now-blocked-in-china-after-a-brief-uncensored-period/>) \[*TechCrunch*\]

**More on Clubhouse:** *[Elon Musk Grills Robinhood CEO for Shutting Down Wall Street Bet Trades](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-grills-robinhood-ceo-shutting-wall-street-bets-trades>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)