In a move strengthening China’s grasp on internet consumption and social media, mainland China has now fully blocked WhatsApp and all of its services. This is a large blow to the Facebook re-entrance attempt of the Chinese market, as now there is no Facebook-owned product (with the exception of Colorful Balloons, an application mimicking Facebook moments) operating within the country.
In a move strengthening China’s grasp on internet consumption and social media, mainland China has now fully blocked WhatsApp and all of its services. This is a large blow to the Facebook re-entrance attempt of the Chinese market, as now there is no Facebook-owned product (with the exception of Colorful Balloons, an application mimicking Facebook moments) operating within the country.
However, Facebook as a company has tried to enter the Chinese market before, but Facebook was banned in 2009 and Instagram never made it over there. This is a major blow to the company, as the country’s 600 million or so smartphone users can be a lucrative market for the tech giant.
It’s interesting to note this is not the only ban this year, with Pinterest and Periscope also being blocked. With over three thousand websites blocked, WhatsApp is just another to add to the list and I’m sure we’ll see more.
Credits: New York Times
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