I'll just say this bluntly - if you're going to be using a VPN in China you might get in a little bit of trouble. How much trouble? Well, that's not known yet.
There is one fact to the matter and that's that China is seriously cracking down on VPN violations throughout the country and in an effort to keep everyone nice and safe (whatever that means) they have started banning websites or services that allow for netizens to surf the interwebs freely.
The Big Ban
As of 2017, the Chinese government has banned access to big western media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and even Youtube. People are encouraged to use Chinese equivalents of these servers which are highly regulated and observed thoroughly. Youtube and FB offer a degree of anonymity that the Chinese government just can't handle.
While it's not sure how much they will regulate the market, rumors are that it will soon be illegal and no networks will be allowed to operate within China. Special cable connections are also being banned as well with only special companies being allowed to sell secure cables - companies which must be approved by local authorities.
The new rules for building and mtaining this huge crackdown on Internet privacy came out this Sunday, where the officials in charge said that they needed to clean up the Internet and make it a safe place for all people. The best way to do so would be to spy on everyone 24/7 apparently. Great fuckin plan...
The regulations are also extremely vague at what they call a VPN. It almost seems as if they don't even know how the networks operate and the legislation calls for a moritorium on any device that basically stops big brother from looking into your life.
He was quoted as saying...
"We must redouble efforts to develop global connectivity to enable all countries to achieve inter-connected growth and share prosperity. ... Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, that dark room will also block light and air," he said.
China is one of the few countries that bans VPN services and doesn't let people access a free worldwide Internet. While this is a serious issue for people both locally it's also an important point for those living abroad.
Countries like Vietnam and Thailand have also had similar issues with accessing information clearly and accurately. It seems as if the powers that would be wants to keep the world in the dark and stupid.
If you're going to pick a VPN provider it's also important to do your research. Some providers, while cheap, store your information in their own servers which serves to absolutely defeat the entire purpose of using a VPN provider. VPN Singapore is one such website that has a huge writeup on reviews for each VPN provider and what they hope to accomplish.
Drop a comment below on what you think the great China VPN could mean for Internet privacy as a whole.