Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

What is Clubhouse, the invite-only social media app used by Elon Musk, blocked in China?

What is Clubhouse, the invite-only social media app used by Elon Musk, blocked in China?

Clubhouse is an up-and-coming social media platform that connects people via audio chat.

Clubhouse is an up-and-coming social media platform that connects people via audio chat rather than posting status updates or sending direct messages.

The app officially launched in April of 2020 and is valued at $1 billion, according to Axios, and presents an alternative form of social media that deviates from more traditional online communication, which can become quickly hostile when people type their thoughts rather than share them through real conversation.

"When you open the app, you can see 'rooms' full of people talking — all open so you can hop in and out, exploring different conversations," a July blog post from Clubhouse reads. "You enter each room as an audience member, but if you want to talk you just raise your hand, and the speakers can choose to invite you up. Or you can create a room of your own."

Notable Clubhouse users include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, TV show host Oprah Winfrey, actor Ashton Kutcher and a number of well-known rappers including Drake, Meek Mill and 21 Savage.


Shares of Agora, a China- and U.S.-based programming company that provides the tools necessary to power the Clubhouse app, have surged in recent months. The firm is set to post fourth-quarter 2020 earnings later this month.


Clubhouse did not immediately respond to an inquiry from FOX Business.

The app has not only presented a new way for users around the world to connect and share ideas online as the 1COVID1-19 pandemic keeps people physically apart, but it also presented a new way for Chinese users to connect beyond the country's "Great Firewall," which allows the government to block its citizens from using thousands of popular websites and apps ranging from Facebook to Twitter to Google.

The app temporarily allowed thousands of Chinese users to engage in unfettered discussions with people abroad about democracy, Taiwan and other sensitive topics at a time when President Xi Jinping’s government is increasingly hostile to independent voices.

"This kind of communication is rare," Zeng Jiajun, a former tech worker, told the Associated Press. "Hearing someone’s voice can make both sides realize we’re all human."

China banned Clubhouse around 7 p.m. on Monday, according to GreatFire.org, a nonprofit U.S. group that monitors Chinese internet filtering and tries to help users circumvent it.

Clubhouse registration is currently invite-only, meaning only those who are invited to use the app can join right away. Those who want to register without an invitation can pre-register by selecting a username and sharing a phone number with the app.

"We are a small team, and we haven’t yet finished building the features that will allow us to handle more people," Clubhouse's July blog post reads. The app had only two employees at the time the post was published, and the company was "actively hiring."

The app's information requirements for new users prompted warnings that Chinese users might face official retaliation for their comments. There was no indication as of Tuesday whether anyone had been punished.

The app was removed from Apple Inc.’s China store by at least Dec. 16, according to Benjamin Ismail, an activist with the group Apple Censorship, which tracks censorship in the Apple Store. Users still could download it if they had access to an Apple app store abroad.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×