China has never been a particularly favorable place for free Internet usage, being widely known for the so-called Great Firewall, and the nation has targeted the services of foreign companies in the past. Google's email service is the most notable example, with Gmail having been blocked in December.
Some believe these incidents point toward an increased push against online communications that take place beyond the government's control, including an increase in the monitoring of communications that go through those services.
SOURCE: Reuters
