Oman bans popular chat app Clubhouse
The audio-only phone application is popular throughout the Middle East but could face further restrictions.
Oman has banned the audio-chat phone application Clubhouse. The popular mobile app, which features unfiltered and relatively unregulated conversations, recently came into wide use throughout the Middle East.
The sultanate’s telecommunications authorities confirmed they cut off access to the popular mobile app, The Associated Press reported on Monday.
Clubhouse is an audio-only smartphone application where users can join and speak in “rooms” with anyone else using the app. Anyone can start a room and then name other moderators to it, and the moderators of a room regulate who can speak and when. Clubhouse says it temporarily records conversations in case an incident is reported. Users cannot record the conversations through the app, nor can they find the rooms once the discussions are finished. These features make Clubhouse a less regulated social media platform than its Silicon Valley competitors.
At present, Clubhouse is invitation-only and also only available for iPhones.
