The Great Firewall of China has received an unprecedented update, as the Tuber mobile browser has been released. Thanks to it, the Chinese can visit YouTube and other prohibited sites. Still, there is one exeption.
Tuber has appeared in Chinese third-party app stores, reports Ferra. It is only available for Android for now, but iOS support is coming soon. The main page of the browser contains a feed with videos from YouTube and a block through which you can visit many Western sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google.
Some have already called the emergence of the browser a step forward for the Chinese Internet. However, everything is not that simple here. The Chinese can only visit the censored version of these sites. On YouTube, for example, you cannot find videos with the keywords “Tiananmen” and “Xi Jinping,” which are sensitive topics for the Chinese authorities.
NIX Solutions adds that it is only possible to use Tuber by registering with a Chinese phone number. And through it, of course, you can determine the identity of the user. The platform can block the profiles of Chinese people and transfer their data to authorities if they view or share inappropriate content.
It is not yet clear who is the browser’s creator, but the operator of the official website Tuber belongs to the subsidiary of the largest Chinese cybersecurity company Qihoo 360.