In Beijing, air quality app ordered to stop reporting air quality data from U.S. Embassy station

By on November 25, 2014
Chinese pollution (Credit: Peter Griffin)


A popular app for determining air pollution levels across China was ordered by the Chinese government to stop gathering data over the United States Embassy in Beijing, according to Sinosphere, the New York Times blog covering China.

The air pollution levels determined by the app were believed by the government to be an inaccurate representation of the real pollution level over the Embassy, which they felt was lower than that reported by the app.

Determined to impress a visiting group of American dignitaries including President Obama, Chinese officials not only disabled the app’s data gathering over the Embassy but also halted production in thousands of pollution-belching factories and prevented many Chinese citizens from driving during the Americans’ stay. Beijing citizens remain skeptical of the government’s assessment of the city’s air pollution.

Top image: Chinese pollution (Credit: Peter Griffin)

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