This illustration picture taken on July 24, 2019 in Paris shows the logo of the US social networking application Grindr on the screen of a tablet. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)
BEIJING — Gay dating app Grindr has disappeared from multiple app stores in China as authorities tighten control of the country’s already heavily policed internet and purge online behavior the ruling Communist Party dislikes.
The country’s cyber authority is conducting a month-long campaign to root out illegal and sensitive content during the Lunar New Year holiday and February’s Winter Olympics.
Although the world’s most populous nation decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, same-sex marriage is illegal and LGBTQ issues remain taboo.
The LGBTQ community is under pressure, with web content censored and depictions of gay romance in films banned.
Apple says Grindr’s developers removed the app from Apple’s China App store.
Data from mobile research firm Qimai shows it was no longer available on Thursday.
Searches for the matchmaking app on Android and similar platforms operated by Chinese companies also returned no results.
Google’s Play Store is not available in China.
Grindr did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
Local Grindr competitors such as Blued remain available for download.
The Chinese former owner of Grindr, Beijing Kunlun Tech, sold the app to investors in 2020 under pressure from US authorities concerned that the potential misuse of its data could present national security risks.
On Tuesday, the cyberspace administration announced a drive to crack down on rumors, pornography and other web content.
The campaign aims to “create a civilized, healthy, festive and auspicious online atmosphere for public opinion during the Lunar New Year”, the administration said in a statement.
Last year, social media accounts belonging to major university LGBTQ rights groups were blocked from WeChat, China’s dominant messaging and social media app.