China blocks WhatsApp, beefs up surveillance ahead of Communist Party gathering
The move comes as a setback for Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, who was planning to re-enter the Chinese online market.
According to reports, Zuckerberg, who also own WhatsApp, is studying the Chinese language intensively as a preparation before entering the market in mainland China.
With the ban on WhatsApp, China also bid adieu to all Facebook products, as the main social media service was banned as early as 2009, with subsequent curbs in other products placed later.
Experts said that WhatsApp services were severely disrupted in the mainland by the government through the use of special technology.
However, users have expressed displeasure at the Chinese government's actions.
"Losing contact with my clients, forced back to the age of telephone and email for work now,” one user complained on Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging site," an user stated on Weibo.
Another said, "Even WhatsApp is blocked now? I’m going to be out of business soon."
The present Chinese government is infamous for taking down critics, often dealing with them in harsh ways.
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