Encrypted messaging service Signal appears to have been blocked in mainland China, with some users telling Apple Daily that they have needed to use a virtual private network to access the service since Monday.

The Signal website was blocked in mainland China on Monday or shortly before then, according to censorship monitoring platform GreatFire.org. The app is still available for download in Apple’s China app store. Signal can still be accessed without a VPN for users in Hong Kong.

Close to 510,000 iOS users in China have installed Signal on their devices, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower as quoted by TechCrunch.

Chinese authorities have not confirmed whether a permanent or temporary ban is in place, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian declining to comment when asked on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported.

A mainland-based user surnamed Zhang told Apple Daily that he was unable to use Signal starting on Monday evening, and needed to switch to a VPN in order to continue accessing the service.

Mainland-based political scholar Wu Qiang told Apple Daily that the move was “a means to implement political security” during the “two sessions” in Beijing — the annual meetings of China’s legislature and leading advisory body. Wu added that the authorities had noticed that the most-discussed topic during the sessions was the reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system.

Wu said that the authorities’ attitude towards such messaging software had not changed, and once a threat had been identified and placed within the range of the Great Firewall, there was no possibility the ban would be lifted.

The apparent ban on Signal comes a month after Chinese authorities also blocked access to audio-chat app Clubhouse, which had briefly gained popularity as a platform to discuss sensitive subjects normally considered taboo in mainland China.

Clubhouse, which is only accessible on iPhones, was launched in early 2020 and gained traction earlier this year after Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, held a discussion on the platform that drew thousands of listeners.

Signal grew in popularity in Hong Kong after Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp announced a change in its terms and conditions in January, which would require users to consent to share their personal data with Facebook. This prompted Hongkongers to migrate to Signal, which is seen as an alternative for more privacy-conscious users.

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