People's Republic of China blocks gay dating apps
Heartlessly, Beijing is once again cracking down on gay people. This time, dating apps are being banned.
Screenshot of the Finka website
(Image: Screenshot)
Apple has removed the apps Blued and Finka from the Chinese App Store. This is apparently at the behest of the censorship authority of the People's Republic of China. Blued is the leading dating-app for gay and bisexual men in China, India, and several other Asian countries. The sister application Finka is aimed at a like-minded but younger audience. The two apps have also disappeared from various Android app stores usable in China.
Wired points this out and refers to corresponding postings on social networks in China. Those who have already installed the apps can still use them. It is currently unclear whether LESDO, the sister app for lesbians and bisexual women, is also affected.
The ban from the app stores reduces IT security, as users will henceforth try to download the software from websites and install it via sideloading. In doing so, they run the risk of possibly getting a version of the app infected with malware.
How Long Blues
Blued dates back to an online forum for gay men established by Chinese police officer Baoli Ma in 2000. The app has existed since 2012. Ma is also a strong advocate for HIV and AIDS prevention. In 2012, he and other HIV activists met with the then second-highest Politburo member, Keqiang Li, to discuss discrimination against homosexuals and the spread of HIV and AIDS. The operating company, BlueCity Group, has also founded a non-profit organization for this purpose and operates a separate platform for men's health.
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However, the year after the meeting with Li, Jinping Xi became president; since then, a different wind has been blowing in Beijing. While there has been no legal ban on homosexual sexual intercourse since 1997, there is a lack of political and legal protection against LGBTQ discrimination. Gay and effeminate men have disappeared from public representation, and the surveillance apparatus is looking for them. LGBTQ bars and other establishments have been closed, and online forums are also being deleted. Furthermore, female authors who have published stories intended for heterosexual women with male homoerotic characters have been imprisoned multiple times.
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