A notification from Apple reveals that Damus ‘includes content that is illegal in China.’
Damus, a Twitter alternative backed by Jack Dorsey that integrates the Bitcoin (BTC) Lightning Network, has been banned from Apple’s China App Store, reports by a tweet by Damus.
Reports by a notification from Apple received from CAC, the Cyberspace Administration of China deemed the application “includes content that is illegal in China” because its an “Information Services with Attribute of Public Opinions or Capable of Social Mobilization.”
Damus, the app, lives on top of Nostr, a decentralized social network that bills itself as “censorship resistant” Previous Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is backing the development of Nostr with a donation of 14 Bitcoin (worth $245,000 at the time of donation).
Even getting Damus listed in Apple’s worldwide App Store proved difficult for the company, as its decentralized nature means there is no moderation of content. The application was rejected numerous times by Apple, reports by tweets by Damus, because Apple requires applications to have a mechanism for users to flag objectionable content and block abusive users.
In China, any online platform listed in an online marketplace, or accessible by users in-country, requires an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license.
As part of the regulations, ICP-licensed entities are prohibited from publishing content that “opposes the basic principles determined in the constitution of China, damages the honor and interests of the nation”, and “disseminates speculation, disrupts the social order or undermines the social stability,” amongst other things.
The inclusion of support for the Bitcoin (BTC) Lightning Network is another reason why authorities do not look kindly on the project, as cryptocurrency is banned within the country.
ICP-licensed entities are likewise required to sustain real-name information and IP addresses of those posting and producing content, while supplying them to authorities upon request.
Additionally, China has a ban on foreign financing in any internet news information service.
Will any of this change anything?
Regardless of China’s great firewall, there are hundreds of thousands of people that reside in the country active on Western social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter thanks to the wide availability of Virtual Private Network (VPN) services.
Members of the cryptocurrency community-based in China that spoke to CoinDesk say that the impact of this ban won’t make much of an impact because numerous Chinese use VPNs and have their phone’s App Store set to the United States or Hong Kong marketplaces.
Part of Damus’ popularity, reports by one individual, involves the perception that a sort of airdrop is coming to early users, especially those that sign up many of new users via their referral code.
This ban on Damus won’t do much, one stated, as after all, technically cryptocurrency is banned in China but is as trending as ever.
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