In another example of the dilemmas facing Internet companies operating in China, Japan-based instant messaging app provider Line Corp. has been censoring chats among users there, blocking the transmission of politically sensitive words and phrases.
Line, which announced Monday that the number of people using its app has topped 300 million worldwide, launched its services for Chinese users last December under the brand Lianwo, in partnership with Chinese IT company Qihoo 360 Technology Co.
Recent research by the Citizen Lab, an Internet security and human rights research group at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, has confirmed that censorship functions are activated on Android smartphone and tablet users in China, and that similar functions probably exist for iPhone users as well.