China now has a tool that allows users to access YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google and other Internet services that would otherwise have long been banned in the country.
Called Tuber, the mobile browser recently debuted in third-party Android stores in China, with an iOS launch in the pipeline. The app's landing page features a scrolling feed of YouTube videos, with tabs at the bottom that allow users to visit other traditional Western internet services.
While some celebrate the app as a " opening "Of the Chinese internet, others quickly noticed that the browser has a veil of censorship. YouTube queries for politically sensitive keywords like" Tiananmen "and" Xi Jinping "did not return results on the app, according to tests performed by ProWellTech.
Using the app also involves responsibilities. Registration requires a Chinese phone number, which is tied to a person's true identity. The platform could suspend user accounts and share their data "with relevant authorities" if they "actively watch or share" content that violates the constitution, endangers national security and sovereignty, spread rumors, disrupt social orders or violate other local laws, per the app's terms of service.
Rather than blocking sites that are outside Beijing's remit and tracking people using VPNs to bypass the Great Firewall, China now has an app that offers its people a glimpse of the Western Internet, with the caveat that their fingerprint may be under close scrutiny by the authorities.
Much about the app remains unclear, such as its origin and the reason behind it. The operator of the app's official website (上海 丰 炫 信息 技术 有限公司) is 70% owned by a subsidiary of Qihoo 360, a Chinese cybersecurity software giant. Whether the app will take off remains to be seen.
This is a story being updated. Source link
