The Clubhouse has been building up enthusiasm through high-level discussions and an indirect approach to audio chats, but there are also concerns that the Chinese government could spy on citizens who obtained the app before it was banned in the country. The developers are promising to protect the users who have succeeded, however. Alpha Exploration told the Stanford Internet Observatory that it is tightening security measures, including blockages that prevent Clubhouse applications from “transmitting pings” to Chinese servers. In theory, Chinese spies will have a harder time tracking application activity.
The updates also include “additional encryption”. Alpha Exploration expected the changes to take effect within 72 hours, with an outsourced company auditing the changes.
Users were concerned that Chinese authorities could legally obtain any recorded conversations that passed through servers in the country. While it is believed that only a handful of iOS users use the Clubhouse in China, they can be the main targets for spying – the Chinese government has eagerly suppressed services that could help dissidents to coordinate in secret, such as VPNs.
The new measures could be crucial for the growth of the Clubhouse. If it is going to grow beyond its invite-only focus and launch on other platforms, Alpha Exploration will have to persuade users that it is truly private and secure. Any job now can pay dividends if it gives more people the confidence to participate in the conversations.