The Hong Kong-based publication Apple Daily has been digitally saved by blockchain technology which will store its articles.
Earlier in June, Hong Kong-based publication Apple Daily had its offices raided, and assets were frozen. the corporate shortly announced its closure and printed its last paper on 24 June. Now, cyber activists within the country are saving articles by publication to the blockchain to still be accessed.
Apple Daily Is Being Saved to the Blockchain
Cyber activists in Hong Kong are saving Apple Daily’s articles onto the blockchain after the publication announced its closure. Once on the blockchain, Apple Daily’s articles won’t be vulnerable to censorship.
Under Hong Kong’s national security law, the govt can request the removal of content it deems “subversive or secessionist.” Police in Hong Kong froze companies’ assets linked to Apple Daily and arrested five executives last week.
As reported by Reuters, a 21-year-old tech worker named Ho began uploading Apple Daily articles to the decentralized file storage platform ARWeave. During a quote to Reuters, Ho explained, “I’m not doing this because I really like Apple Daily, it’s what must be done.”
What Is ARWeave, and How Does It Help?
ARWeave breaks down files into smaller blocks of data. After being weakened, these blocks then get distributed over an open network of anonymous computers worldwide–the blockchain.
The use of a worldwide network makes it very difficult for any content on the blockchain to be censored because it is spread across various devices. If anyone were to undertake and tamper with the content, any changes would be easily identifiable and trackable through variations within the block’s digital key.
So far, quite 4,000 of Apple Daily’s articles are uploaded to the blockchain through ARWeave. Once uploaded to the blockchain, the articles are available to read for anyone with access to a computer.
Ho’s digital repository of Apple Daily’s articles remains during a beta phase and won’t officially launch for a few months. But the uploading of Apple Daily’s articles gives reassurance to its readers that they will still be ready to access the publication’s old content, albeit it can’t produce any longer.
Old Apple Daily Articles Will Soon Be Accessible
Once Ho’s digital repository is officially launched, Apple Daily’s old articles will be accessible for anyone who will access a computer to read. Although Apple Daily can’t produce any longer content, the publication won’t be forgotten.
