China has been working on blocking VPN services. The government knows that these tools are being used to get around their censorship network, and they don’t like it. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) says that they will do all they can to keep up with Internet technology to make sure that their Internet stays free of bad content.
Taking it to the Next Level
China has been blocking a lot of websites and online services over the years. The investment of time and energy that they have put into their Great Firewall is certainly impressive. But they are not done yet, because VPNs have become a threat to their closed off Internet. The government wants to make sure that they can absolutely control the flow of information coming in through online channels. Wen Ku is the MIIT’s Director of Telecom Development, and he says that the ministry is not slowing down. They are in fact applying new solutions to satisfy their Internet security requirements. And they won’t stop until they achieve a stable cyber security system.
Staying abreast of developments in the online world is not easy, but China is doing a pretty good job. VPNs have been operating for several years in China. VPNs are the only reliable tools that have given people there easy and open access to a lot of websites that the government has been blocking over the years. Sadly, some VPN services such as StrongVPN, Golden Frog’s VyperVPN and Astrill VPN have already experienced service interruptions on the mainland. This began last week, just before Director Wen made his announcement to the Beijing press about the duty of online services to follow the laws that China has set before them. Wen maintains that the law will be applied to all services and information that do not conform to the law.
Nevertheless, VPN services are expected to continue to fight Chinese censorship. Astrill has assured their customers that they will fight VPN censorship, doing all they can to restore smooth access. VPN services know that they are relied upon by millions of people to maintain unrestricted connections to the Internet. They have their work cut out for them, though, since GreatFire reports that the Astrill website has been almost totally blocked since November last year.
More and more people in China depend on VPNs to maintain open access to many services that their government wants to shut out. One of these is Gmail, which has been blocked on the mainland since December 2014. All associated Gmail services have been inaccessible in China without the use of a VPN. This is true for many other services such as Facebook and YouTube. Because VPNs are helping people to access what are considered to be unhealthy content, the government has begun targeting them. Now that the MIIT is discovering ways to block these services, people may soon lose their ability to use many of their online accounts and related services.
Broadcasters and news agencies in China have been warned yet again not to publish any information relating to the blockage of VPN services. The Central Propaganda Department reminded them that any reports from sources that are not recognized by the department will be considered violations of their directive. The State Council Information Office issued an order last Sunday, saying that websites are banned from repeating any news about the blocks. The media in China is under strict regulation, but the story leaked out nonetheless.
One Chinese newspaper, the Global Times, says that China wants to hold dominion over cyberspace, at least within their territory. The Great Firewall is being constantly enhanced to achieve this. The government and the MIIT of course maintain that the Internet is being monitored for safety reasons, and that online services must comply for the security of all users in China. Online security specialist Qin An of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy says that VPN services are a necessary target of government Internet censorship. China cannot achieve its goals for Internet domination if they cannot keep VPNs in check.
Director Wen has fielded a lot of questions about how Internet censorship can affect the economy by stifling the establishment and growth of Internet companies. Wen says that the Great Firewall is actually the answer to eCommerce success. He cites Alibaba.com as an example of an Internet business giant that achieved greatness through the intricate Chinese standard system of content filters and website blocks. Wen stresses that the Great Firewall fosters the safe environment in which Chinese online businesses can flourish to build a strong Internet industry.
The government has maintained this line of defense for as long as we can remember, and they are not going to change their tune any time soon. They will protect the power of the Chinese Communist Party for as long as they can, in spite of increased resistance from the people. The government will continue to block any content that they claim is harmful, without any explanation of why or any guiding principles to follow, says Chinese political critic Zhang Qi. The government has been likened by online freedom fighter Wu Bin (a.k.a. Xiucai Jianghu) to a mafia organization. Information blackouts and pro-government propaganda will be a fact of life in China for as long as public commentary, even implied disapproval, does not support the ruling party 100%. Freedom of expression in China is increasingly in danger, but the people continue to fight back with whatever technology remains and is made available to them.
