THE PINK NEWS – Malaysia has blocked access to Grindr and Blued and is considering further action against other LGBTQ+ dating platforms, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced on 25 February. He said authorities are reviewing legal measures to restrict apps deemed to violate local laws, including those involving immoral or unlawful content. Same-sex activity remains illegal in Malaysia and carries severe criminal penalties under federal and state laws.
QUEERTY – Blued launched in 2012 and rapidly surpassed Grindr to become the world’s largest gay dating app by user count. Founded by former police officer Ma Baoli, the app expanded beyond dating into social networking and HIV-related public health services, became publicly listed, and reached a multimillion-dollar valuation. Beginning in 2021, a broader LGBTQ+ crackdown under Xi Jinping led to increased censorship of queer platforms. In late 2025, Blued and its youth-focused sister app Finka were removed from app stores in mainland China and remain unavailable as of early 2026, with users awaiting a possible return. Chinese writer Yi-Ling Liu documents Blued’s rise and subsequent censorship in her book The Wall Dancers.
WIRED – Apple has removed China’s two biggest gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its App Store after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s top internet regulator. The apps are still functional for existing users but cannot be newly downloaded. Most foreign LGBTQ+ apps, including Grindr, are already blocked in China. The move highlights growing pressure on China’s LGBTQ+ community, which has faced mounting censorship and organizational shutdowns under tighter government control. Blued, once boasting 49M users and later merged with Finka under BlueCity, was bought by Newborn Town in 2022 after delisting from Nasdaq. Its founder and many longtime employees have since left. The app’s international version, HeeSay, remains available and popular in South and Southeast Asia. It’s unclear if Blued and Finka’s removal is temporary or permanent.
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REST OF WORLD – China's premier gay dating app, Blued, aims to surpass Grindr on the global stage despite facing domestic challenges due to censorship and competition. Founded in 2012 by Ma Baoli, Blued successfully navigated China's tight restrictions by aligning with state public health initiatives, offering HIV prevention and health services. Blued's parent company, BlueCity, went public in 2020 but faced profitability challenges. After a takeover by Newborn Town, Blued is focusing on expansion in Southeast Asia and the U.S., with plans to become the world's largest LGBTQIA social network. However, the app faces skepticism about its global prospects, particularly in saturated Western markets. The company is also likely to face scrutiny over data privacy and security as it expands in the West, particularly in light of previous concerns around Grindr's Chinese ownership.
by Viola Zhou & Andrew Deck
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SCMP – Newborn Town, a Chinese app factory, is making strides in the Southeast Asian market by developing multiple social media and dating apps. Despite increasing political scrutiny, Newborn Town has managed to embed its smaller apps into user lifestyles across various regions. The company is now expanding its focus to more mature markets like the US and Japan. The company owns a range of social media apps and has reported strong revenue growth.
by Tracy Qu
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PR NEWSWIRE – Newborn Town has signed an agreement with Spriver to acquire Chizicheng Strategy Investment, a subsidiary of Spriver. This acquisition will make Newborn Town the controlling shareholder of BlueCity, which is owned by Chizicheng Strategy Investment. Upon completion of the acquisition, Newborn Town will consolidate the financial statements of BlueCity into its own financial statements. BlueCity is a leading player in the LGBTQ social vertical, with its flagship Blued app as the second-largest LGBTQ platform globally in terms of active users while holding the leading position in terms of users in several Asian countries and regions. Newborn Town is a company with diversified social networking services based in Hong Kong, listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company was founded in 2013 and provides various social networking services such as live streaming, interactive entertainment, and audio services. Newborn Town has a global footprint and operates in key markets, including Japan, Korea, North America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
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SCMP – Ma Baoli is vacating his roles as CEO and chairman. He announced the change with a post to his personal WeChat account. "We have turned ideals into reality and made something impossible possible," Ma wrote, hinting at the difficulties of running a business catering to the LGBTQ community in a country where gay marriage is not legal and the government has taken an increasingly stringent stance against content depicting same-sex relationships. BlueCity grew revenue to reach $107.2M in 2019, the year before going public on the Nasdaq in July 2020, reaching a valuation of ~$800M. However, profitability has proven elusive as the space for LGBTQ groups online in China has shrunk in recent years. BlueCity has not announced a successor for Ma, but a company representative said it would "fulfill its obligation to disclose the information in a timely manner".
PANDAILY – The privatization of LGBTQ platform BlueCity is nearing completion. It will be controlled by Metaclass Management, a fund owned by Chinese social networking product developer Newborn Town. The buyer group includes Metaclass Management, BlueCity's founder Ma Baoli, and CDH Investment. According to the agreement, BlueCity will be acquired for $3.20/share and the transaction valuation is $60M. BlueCity's operating income in 2021 was $169M.
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GLOBE NEWSWIRE – BlueCity, a leading online LGBTQ platform, has promoted Mr. Junchen Sun, to CFO, effective May 19, 2022. Mr. Sun joined BlueCity in February 2017 and served as the acting CFO of the Company since May 2021.