China continues to show that it will stop at nothing to hide any mention of gambling, unless, of course, it’s run by the state. This week, China blocked a total of 105 apps as its Internet police launched their latest crackdown, banning them for providing access to “obscene, pornographic, violent, bloody and other illegal information, and providing illegal services such as fraud, gambling and prostitution,” according to CNN. Caught up in the purge was a seemingly innocuous site that cannot realistically be lumped into that category. TripAdvisor is no longer accessible to the Chinese travel market.
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), aka the keyholders of the Great Firewall that controls who accesses what in the country, reported the new list of blocked sites this week, adding in a translated statement, “The Cyberspace Administration of China will continue to … strengthen the supervision and inspection of mobile apps’ information services, promptly clean up and dispose of illegal mobile applications and application stores, and strive to create a clear cyberspace.” However, even though TripAdvisor found itself on the list, the site was still active in the country as of this past Tuesday, per CNN’s report.
The CAC didn’t offer details on why certain sites found themselves on the banned list, and it’s not easy to find a connection between TripAdvisor and the explanation by the agency for why it prohibits the sites. However, the closest thing to a working theory available is the fact that China has been cracking down on gambling, especially cross-border gambling, and may have viewed TripAdvisor’s access to gambling destinations as a way around its controls.
In China, anyone found operating an illegal casino can be punished with five to ten years behind bars. The same goes for anyone who markets foreign casinos to the country’s citizens, and China recently launched an effort to crack down on individuals and companies it feels is directly targeting the Chinese gambler.
TripAdvisor hasn’t weighed in on any possible reason for the ban in the country. It only issued a statement that read, We’re not in a position to comment at this time. TripAdvisor’s brand in China is managed by a joint venture between TripAdvisor and Trip.com Group, which owns a majority share. Please forward all inquiries to pr@tripadvisor.cn.” Trip.com hasn’t spoken up, either.
TripAdvisor shareholders didn’t appreciate the announcement when it was first made. Since November 30, the company’s stock has been on the rise from $26.11, reaching $31.05 on December 7. By yesterday afternoon, it had dropped to $29.34 before closing at $29.37. While Trip.com owns most of the Chinese operations, TripAdvisor maintains control of 40% of the joint venture.
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