The Notepad ++ website has been banned in China since Monday, "obviously due" to the release of editions called "Free Uyghur" and "Stand With Hong Kong", the source code and text editor announced on Twitter.
First released in 2003 by French developer Don Ho, Free Notepad ++ runs on Windows and supports around 90 languages. In the release notices for the two editions, Ho openly expressed his concerns about "human rights" conditions in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region and Hong Kong, respectively.
Ho has over the years unveiled several special versions referencing his political stance, including one in 2014 related to pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen. When the "Free Uyghur" version came out late last year, an army of patriotic users bombed Notepad ++ 's Github repository in Chinese comments.
ProWellTech's tests found that Notepad ++'s ban only applies to its 'Downloads' page - which shows special editions and thus politically sensitive language - when trying to reach it from Chinese browsers developed by Tencent (browser QQ and WeChat's integrated browser), Alibaba (UC Browser), 360 and Sogou. These services mark the page as containing content "prohibited" by local regulatory authorities.
The Notepad ++ home page, on the other hand, remains unlocked via these local browsers. The full site can still be accessed from Chrome and DuckDuckGo in China.
ProWellTech contacted Notepad ++ for more details.
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