VPN or Virtual Private Network can be described as the opportunity to establish a protected network connection when using public networks. It encrypted internet traffic and disguised online identity. Thus, this makes it more difficult for third parties to track the online activities and steal data.
As VPN services are a reliable tool for Chinese internet users to bypass the Great Firewall. But recently the users started reporting the connectivity issues in the mainland after anti-lockdown protest content flooded Twitter.
China Tends to Tighten Control Over VPN Sales
As per the recent news update sourced from WSJ, the online watchdog told the tech-giants to expand censorship of information on demonstrations and take the necessary steps to curb the virtual private network used to bypass online controls this week. This is due to the Chinese Government clampdown succeeding in having most protesters off the streets after nationwide demonstrations erupted over the weekend against China’s strict Covid policies.
The Chinese Cyberspace Administration issued guidance to tech-companies on November 29, 2022, including Tencent Holdings Ltd. and ByteDance Ltd. The Chinese owner of short video apps TikTok and Douyin, asking them to add more staff to internet censorship teams, as per the people familiar with the matter.
The tech-giants were also asked to pay more attention to content related to the protests, especially any information being shared about demonstrations at Chinese universities and a fire in the western Xinjiang region that triggered the nationwide backlash over Covid policies.
According to the people, the regulator also asked officials to get companies to prevent searches related to VPNs, which were used by protesters and their supporters to circulate videos of the recent demonstrations.
However, the directives were issued following an internal meeting at the internet regulator where the officials were told to question search engines, e-commerce companies and internet content platforms to direct a fresh sweep to remove sales postings and information related to how to use VPNs.
It must be noted that over this happening, there was no official response received either from the Cyberspace Administration of China, ByteDance or Tencent.
The well-known VPN service provider from China, ExpressVPN, stated that it was experiencing connectivity issues in China. “We are aware of the issue, and our engineers are currently working on a fix,” said ExpressVPN.
The well-known VPN service provider from China, ExpressVPN, updated on its official site on November 30, 2022 that “The team is aware of a decline in VPN connectivity affecting users in China. It is important that you follow all the troubleshooting steps detailed below to restore your VPN connection, while we investigate the issue and work to give you the latest updates,” as it was experiencing connectivity issues in China.
Andrew is a blockchain developer who developed his interest in cryptocurrencies while his post-graduation. He is a keen observer of details and shares his passion for writing along with being a developer. His backend knowledge about blockchain helps him give a unique perspective to his writing
Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2022/12/02/china-crackdown-on-internet-as-it-seeks-to-stamp-out-covid-protests/