Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

yuiyoshida

(41,760 posts)
Sun Jul 23, 2017, 10:49 PM Jul 2017

China moves to block internet VPNs from 2018



China will completely block access to much of the global internet as part of a sweeping crackdown aimed at suppressing dissent and maintaining the Communist party’s grip on power.

The government has ordered China’s three telecommunications companies to completely block access to virtual private networks, or VPNs, by February 2018, Bloomberg News reported, citing anonymous sources. The three internet providers, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, are all state-owned.

China operates the largest internet censorship regime in the world, blocking access to thousands of websites including Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Internet controls also mean news and commentary critical of the ruling Communist party and information about events like the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre are almost impossible to find within China.

But millions of Chinese citizens circumvent China’s censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, by using a VPN, allowing unfettered access to any website.

The latest directive comes as China prepares for a twice a decade political meeting in Beijing in late 2017, with various factions within the government jockeying for dominance in any potential shuffle of top officials. It also comes on the heels of a 14-month “cleanup” of internet services announced in January, part of president Xi Jinping’s push for so-called “internet sovereignty”.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/11/china-moves-to-block-internet-vpns-from-2018?CMP=share_btn_tw
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Takket

(21,424 posts)
2. to paraphrase princess Leia...
Sun Jul 23, 2017, 11:10 PM
Jul 2017

The more they tighten their grip, the more systems will slip through their fingers...

bobalew

(321 posts)
3. Several large US companies use VPN to keep their data safe and for corporate infrastructure
Mon Jul 24, 2017, 12:51 AM
Jul 2017

Well there goes the corporate infrastructure for US and other international companies doing business in China....

moondust

(19,917 posts)
4. I'm sure they'll pull out
Mon Jul 24, 2017, 01:18 AM
Jul 2017

of the awful communist country that suppresses freedom and cracks down on dissent! I mean COMMUNISM!!!! TOTALITARIANISM!!!! Where are all the freedom lovers who preached the terrible evils of communism for almost a century?

Oh, I guess they're home counting all the money they've made off the cheap Chinese labor kept in line by totalitarian government.

Ivanka? Ivanka? Princess?

Response to yuiyoshida (Original post)

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»China moves to block inte...