In this photo illustration, the logo of American multinational techno .G company and search engine Google appears in the background on an Android mobile device with the flag of the People’s Republic of China.
Budrul Chukrut | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
GUANGZHOU, China – An application that soon gave Chinese Internet users access to foreign websites such as YouTube and Facebook – services that have been blocked for a long time – has now disappeared.
The web browser, called Tuber, was supported by Kaihu 360, a Chinese cybersecurity giant. 9 Oct October, a reporter in the Global Times state-sponsored tabloid Tweeted About its launch.
China’s so-called Great Firewall blocks websites like Facebook and its services like Instagram, as well as Google and Twitter. Content on Chinese websites is also highly censored, especially if it is considered politically sensitive by Beijing.
A virtual private network or VPN is required to access any blocked sites in China. But the Tuber app allowed users to access these services without a VPN.
There were some warnings for tuber application. Users registered with their identity card information and phone number, according to Reuters and TechCrunch, both have tested the app.
Search results on YouTube for politically sensitive phrases like “Tiananmen” and “Xi Jinping” did not return any results on the Tuber app, according to TechCrunch.
The Tuber app was available on the Huawei App Store but was not there when CNBC checked in on Sunday. It was also unavailable on Apple’s App Store. The application’s website is also not working. It is not clear whether the government has ordered the takedown of the application.
When contacted by CNBC, Kihu 360 did not respond to two requests for comment.
China’s censored Internet has left “an opportunity for someone to create a filtered version of Google” to compete with local players, according to Rich Bishop, CEO of Apichina. But it can also face challenges.
“I think if it starts to become popular Google, they will probably block themselves and then you need to have all the licenses to run a video hosting site and a search engine. It’s very difficult to get,” said Bishop, whose company Helps developers publish their apps in China, told CNBC.
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