Apple Daily, a pro-democracy tabloid in Hong Kong, was pressured to close down by the federal government amid a nationwide safety investigation. And now being backed up on a censorship-resistant blockchain.
Formerly a number one publication with tens of millions of readers within the Hong Kong SAR, Apple Daily printed its closing version on June 23. The newspaper’s official web site was additionally down on Thursday, and posts on its social media channels have been deleted.
Apple Daily has been on the middle of a nationwide safety crackdown by the Hong Kong authorities as a result of web site’s lengthy editorial stance towards native in addition to central authorities in China. It was additionally a serious drive within the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill motion in 2019.
According to a Reuters report, underneath the National Security Law, the Hong Kong authorities can block or take away content material it considers “subversive or secessionist” and will pose a possible risk to its sovereignty. of China, whose headquarters are in Hong Kong. on the so-called one nation, two techniques mannequin.
The publication has been working since billionaire founder Jimmy Lai and several other senior executives had been arrested underneath a nationwide safety investigation final August. But final week, Hong Kong authorities froze Apple Daily’s financial institution accounts, forcing it to close down.
With vital affect in Hong Kong, Apple Daily’s shutdown prompted lots of of native residents to name for assist. Many individuals lined up on the night of June 23 to purchase the ultimate version of the newspaper.
Store ceaselessly
But now an nameless particular person or group has uploaded articles hosted on Apple Daily to the Arweave blockchain, a decentralized file storage network whose mission is to host web archives ceaselessly and make them uncensored.
According to a standing replace web site referred to as Decentralized Apple Daily, about 5,000 items of content material have been encrypted into the Arweave network, every with a novel hash for customers to view on Arweave’s blockchain explorer.
One of the earliest blockchain transactions dates again to June 18 with the title “National Security Police Arrested 5 Apple Daily employees; took away 44 hard drives containing news material.”
The ARWeave backup is the most recent instance the place blockchain expertise is getting used to retailer content material that has been taken down from the web because of authorities censorship.
In 2020, Chinese web customers encrypted a digital monument on the Ethereum network in reminiscence of Dr. Li Wenliang, who is taken into account one of many first to denounce the coronavirus outbreak. News of Li’s dying after he contracted the virus sparked widespread anger amongst Chinese residents, however the authorities has censored a lot of the data surrounding the occasion.
Synthetic
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