Beijing: China steps up efforts to block software internet Users visit banned sites during peak period political meeting This week, a leading supplier Software that crosses firewalls told AFP.
Beijing has some of the most extensive Censorship Over the Internet, web users in mainland China cannot access everything from Google to news sites without using a virtual private network (VPN).
Thousands of delegates gathered in Beijing this week for the annual “two classes” During the conference, VPN software became increasingly difficult to circumvent censorship, and outages became more frequent, even compared to previous sensitive political events.
A representative of Liechtenstein service Astrill confirmed to AFP: “Currently, censorship has increased due to political meetings in China. Astrill is one of the most popular VPN services for foreigners in China.”
“Unfortunately, not all VPN protocols currently work properly,” they said.
“We are working intensively to get all services back to normal, but we do not have an ETA at this time.”
In China, it is illegal to use a VPN without government authorization and to use the software to access blocked websites.
However, state media staff and diplomats have access to banned websites such as X (formerly Twitter).
Security measures were tightened across Beijing during the two sessions, with security guards patrolling the streets with sniffer dogs and elderly volunteers wearing red armbands monitoring pedestrians for suspicious behavior.
Chinese social media giant Weibo has also been quick to block sensitive topics.
All tags discussing Beijing’s decision to cancel the prime minister’s traditional press conference were quickly removed from search results.
Another piece of content that mentioned China’s economic woes and declared that “middle-class children have no future” was also deleted.
China’s domestic media is controlled by the state, and widespread censorship of social media is often used to suppress negative or critical reporting.
Regulators have previously urged investors to avoid reading foreign news reports about China.
In a speech last year, President Xi Jinping It said the ruling Communist Party’s control of the Internet had been “strengthened” and that it was crucial for the country to “govern cyberspace.”
Beijing has some of the most extensive Censorship Over the Internet, web users in mainland China cannot access everything from Google to news sites without using a virtual private network (VPN).
Thousands of delegates gathered in Beijing this week for the annual “two classes” During the conference, VPN software became increasingly difficult to circumvent censorship, and outages became more frequent, even compared to previous sensitive political events.
A representative of Liechtenstein service Astrill confirmed to AFP: “Currently, censorship has increased due to political meetings in China. Astrill is one of the most popular VPN services for foreigners in China.”
“Unfortunately, not all VPN protocols currently work properly,” they said.
“We are working intensively to get all services back to normal, but we do not have an ETA at this time.”
In China, it is illegal to use a VPN without government authorization and to use the software to access blocked websites.
However, state media staff and diplomats have access to banned websites such as X (formerly Twitter).
Security measures were tightened across Beijing during the two sessions, with security guards patrolling the streets with sniffer dogs and elderly volunteers wearing red armbands monitoring pedestrians for suspicious behavior.
Chinese social media giant Weibo has also been quick to block sensitive topics.
All tags discussing Beijing’s decision to cancel the prime minister’s traditional press conference were quickly removed from search results.
Another piece of content that mentioned China’s economic woes and declared that “middle-class children have no future” was also deleted.
China’s domestic media is controlled by the state, and widespread censorship of social media is often used to suppress negative or critical reporting.
Regulators have previously urged investors to avoid reading foreign news reports about China.
In a speech last year, President Xi Jinping It said the ruling Communist Party’s control of the Internet had been “strengthened” and that it was crucial for the country to “govern cyberspace.”