China is now blocking WhatsApp in its entirety, according to a report by The New York Times.
The Facebook-owned messaging service was earlier this year crippled in the communist state, leaving only a few core functions operational. Users could send and receive text messages, but little else. Now, the service is totally barred.
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The complete block comes just weeks before China’s Communist Party conference.
This is a damning blow to Facebook’s Chinese ambitions. While the social network itself had been banned in the country since 2009, WhatsApp was the last bastion of the company in China.
Facebook however has had its own issues this week.
It’s currently contending with pressure from US lawmakers to release information regarding advertising campaigns tied to Russia, campaigns that may have influenced the 2016 US Elections.
At the time of writing, Facebook’s shares have plummeted more than 4%.
Feature image: Fredrik Rubensson via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, resized)
