


However, it is still possible to use individual VPNs, which, while technically illegal, are the only way to circumvent the Chinese government’s internet censorship for people living in China. Watching streaming services from other countries


Speaking to their friends, family, and colleagues in other countriesħ. Protecting and securing their devices, such as mobile phones and laptopsĦ. Protecting and hiding their browsing historyĥ. Avoiding government surveillance and data collection practicesģ. Securing their Internet Protocol (IP) address and location from cybercriminalsĢ. This forced Android and Apple app stores in the country to remove VPN applications that people could use to bypass the Great Firewall.Īs a result, people living, working, or studying in China were unable to use popular VPN tools for purposes such as:ġ. Three years later, in March 2018, the government made it even more difficult for people to bypass the Great Firewall by banning additional VPN services. It all began with an update to the government’s so-called “Great Firewall,” which made it difficult and even impossible for people to access the country’s three most-used VPN services: Astrill, Golden Frog, and StrongVPN. VPN providers started to get banned by the Chinese government in early 2015. Popular websites and social networking apps like Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Spotify, and Twitter and news sources like the BBC, New York Times, Reuters, and Wall Street Journal have been banned by the Chinese government for many years in an attempt to protect the country’s “cyber sovereignty.” In practice, this means blocking productivity or social networking sites to prevent people in China from discussing political topics online, as well as blocking the use of foreign news sites, search engines, and popular productivity applications. However, individual VPN tools like the Fortinet FortiGate VPN software can help people in China to avoid the government’s VPN ban. Academics and students are hugely restricted in the amount of work and study they can get done, while business executives and software developers struggle to communicate with their colleagues, families, and friends in other countries. All of this combined makes communication with friends and families, internet access, and work incredibly difficult for foreign nationals living in China.
