HONG KONG (AP) — Encrypted messaging app Signal appears to have been blocked in mainland China, the latest foreign social media service to cease working in a country where information is tightly controlled by the government. As of Tuesday, users of the app within China had to connect to a virtual private network (VPN) that allows them to circumvent China’s so-called Great Firewall, a censorship system which blocks websites, services and apps deemed inappropriate by the Chinese government. The move to block Signal, one of the few remaining messaging apps in China that allowed users to engage in encrypted messaging, comes as China moves to tighten controls to shape public opinion and at times limit private discourse.
