After a short period of operating without censorship limitations, Beijing has now kicked Chinese users off the secretive American social media app Clubhouse. Launching in April last year, it’s an invitation-only audio-based platform where users from all around the world can join chat rooms to participate in what is effectively a live, free-flowing podcast. The app was fast gaining popularity in China with users expressing themselves on topics ranging from Tiananmen Square to their love lives as they shared their stories with the world – and with their fellow citizens. It’s the latest clampdown on free speech in China – a shame, one journalist wrote, as it gave locals “a chance to prove that they aren’t brainwashed drones.”