Beijing blocks gay dating app before Winter Olympics

Despite the removal of Grindr, competitors in China such as Blued remained available for download.

Apple said Grindr’s developers had removed it from the App Store.

Gay dating app Grindr has been withdrawn in China as the Communist Party tightens its grip on the internet before the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The app was removed from online stores after the country’s cyberspace watchdog announced a month-long crackdown on “rumours, soft pornography, violence and ­cyberbullying-related content”.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said the campaign aimed to “create a civilised, healthy, festive and auspicious online atmosphere for public opinion during the lunar new year”. However, it coincides with the games, which begin on Friday, and follows the introduction of the Personal Information Protection Law. It requires international apps to share information with the government and apps are now commonly removed.

Grindr said it had experienced difficulties complying with the new law and noted that other companies had removed their apps for similar reasons.

Apple said Grindr’s developers had removed it from the App Store. It is understood that its downloads stopped on Thursday. Android platforms operated by Chinese tech companies Huawei and Tencent also returned no results for the app. Despite the removal of Grindr, competitors in China such as Blued remained available for download.

China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 but same-sex marriage is not allowed.

LGBTQI issues remain sensitive and there is censorship of web content and a ban on depictions of gay romance in films.

It is common for apps to be removed when a company falls foul of the authorities. Last year, social media accounts belonging to several university LGBTQI rights groups were blocked from the WeChat apps.

The Times