China has introduced a new application that provides users with controlled access to internet services typically blocked within the country, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google.

Dubbed Tuber, this mobile browser became available on Chinese third-party Android app platforms this week, with plans for a future release on iOS. The application’s main screen displays a stream of YouTube videos, and it also offers access to other popular Western internet platforms through designated tabs.

While some view the app as a significant step towards greater openness on the Chinese internet, as highlighted by certain state media reports, others have observed that it incorporates a degree of censorship. Testing by TechCrunch revealed that searches on YouTube for sensitive topics like “Tiananmen” and “Xi Jinping” yielded no results within the application.

There are also potential risks associated with using the app. Account registration requires a Chinese mobile phone number, linking usage to individual identities. The app’s terms of service state that the platform reserves the right to suspend accounts and share user data “with the relevant authorities” if users “actively watch or share” content deemed to violate the constitution, compromise national security, spread misinformation, disrupt social order, or contravene other domestic regulations.

Instead of solely relying on blocking access to websites and monitoring the use of VPNs to bypass the Great Firewall, China now offers a platform that allows citizens to experience a limited version of the Western internet, while potentially subjecting their online activity to increased scrutiny.

Several aspects of this service remain unknown, including its origins, the reasoning behind its development, and the technology employed to circumvent China’s extensive censorship mechanisms. Business records indicate that the operator of the app’s website (上海丰炫信息技术有限公司) is 70% owned by a subsidiary of Qihoo 360, a prominent Chinese cybersecurity company.

Tuber’s design appears to prioritize YouTube content, while its companion application, Sgreennet, available on both desktop and mobile, functions as a standard web browser providing access to blocked overseas websites. Qihoo 360 has been active in the Chinese browser market since 2008.

Sgreennet asserts that it utilizes VPN encryption technologies to ensure “no one can track, collect or share a user’s private data,” a claim that may be met with doubt considering Qihoo 360’s past controversies. Fu Sheng, an early investor in Musical.ly, alleged in 2010 that Qihoo 360 recorded user data, including passwords. The company was also sued by software developer Sogou in 2013 over alleged anticompetitive practices, and was involved in a lengthy dispute with Tencent a decade ago that affected millions of users.

Sgreennet offers an annual subscription of approximately $50, providing benefits such as ad-blocking, access to Netflix streaming, and the ability to download high-definition videos – features that may be of interest to YouTube.

Within just two days, Tuber has accumulated over 5 million downloads on Huawei’s Android app store. While not the first browser in China to claim the ability to bypass the Great Firewall without VPNs, it has garnered significant attention. A widely circulated article on WeChat introducing the app likely contributed to its rapid initial success, and it is estimated that tens of millions of users in China have already sampled the censored Western internet through the application.

It is currently uncertain whether Chinese authorities explicitly authorized Qihoo 360 to develop this browser. However, such approval would not be surprising, given that two of the company’s executives hold key positions within the Cybersecurity Association of China, an organization dedicated to aligning industry and academic efforts with the government’s cybersecurity policies, including censorship.

Qihoo 360 has not yet responded to requests for comment. As of Saturday afternoon, Tuber has been removed from the Huawei Android store, and existing installations are no longer functional, displaying a message indicating it is “undergoing a system upgrade.”

This article was updated on October 9 with additional background information and on October 10 to reflect the app’s removal from the app store.