WhatsApp users on mainland China reported partially restored functions on Wednesday after experiencing trouble using the instant messaging tool on Tuesday. Some users now appear to be able to send sound clips and photos, after reports of service disruptio
WhatsApp users on mainland China reported partially restored functions on Wednesday after experiencing trouble using the instant messaging tool on Tuesday. Some users now appear to be able to send sound clips and photos, after reports of service disruptions a day earlier.
Some mainland mobile network users reported on Tuesday that they could not send and receive multimedia content, though the app’s text messaging service appeared largely normal.
Chinese users had trouble using the popular WhatsApp instant messaging tool, with many fearing it is the latest victim of Beijing’s internet clampdown.
Most of the affected users said they could not send or receive photos using the chat app, which is owned by Facebook, without a virtual private network.
In China, WhatsApp is used by a relatively smaller number of people than Tencent Holdings Ltd’s WeChat, but it’s preferred by some because it’s deemed to be less closely monitored than its Chinese rival. — Reuters Photo:thestar
A spokeswoman with Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, declined to comment on the service disruption on the mainland.
Tests with South China Morning Post reporters stationed in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou showed different results, with Shanghai users experiencing the most difficulties on Wednesday.
The Post’s staff members in Guangzhou found no issues sending and receiving text messages, videos, pictures and sound clips to and from local as well as overseas WhatsApp users.
WhatsApp, which was acquired by Facebook in 2014, is favoured by some Chinese users for its end-to-end encryption. Image: Reuters
But in Beijing, while reporters could receive most multimedia content, but the transmission of photos still seemed to be a hit-and-miss. Some pictures sent from overseas users could be displayed only as pixelated previews and could not be downloaded in full size.
Tests with two users in Shanghai using local mobile networks failed to send and receive pictures. A staff member also failed to register to use WhatsApp with a local mobile phone number.
Some users said they could not get WhatsApp to connect to the internet on Tuesday without a VPN.
Image:TheTruthSpy
In a test conducted by the South China Morning Post in the afternoon, two users registered with mainland Chinese mobile numbers were unable to send videos or pictures to each other via WhatsApp.
One of the users then tried, and failed, to send the video and photo files to an overseas number. When that person tried to send a photo to the mainland Chinese user from overseas, the message was received but the photo was only displayed as a loading thumbnail.
There was no problem sending and receiving text messages, and all services appeared normal when connected to a VPN.
Image:Global eCommerce Leaders Forum
WeChat, however, which is owned by tech giant Tencent, has been found to be censoring messages deemed sensitive by Beijing without notifying its users, according to reports by Toronto-based Citizen Lab.
A member of a non-governmental labour welfare group in Shenzhen, who did not wish to be named, told the Post he had been unable to use WhatsApp since 8am, but other apps on his phone, including WeChat, were fine. He regularly uses WhatsApp to communicate for work as the messages are encrypted. “WhatsApp is much safer than WeChat,” he said. “Today I didn’t talk to my colleagues at all. It’s very confusing.”
Nadim Kobeissi, a cryptography researcher looking at the WhatsApp problems, told the AP picture and voice messages appeared to be blocked, but that text was still working.
It is highly unlikely Chinese authorities could circumvent WhatsApp’s encryption to read or alter sent messages, as they can in WeChat, Kobeissi said. But other researchers suggested the Government could eventually block WhatsApp altogether.
