China has stepped up efforts to block internet users from accessing banned websites during a top political meeting, a leading provider of firewall-spanning software said.
Beijing imposes the world’s most widespread censorship of the internet, with mainland internet users unable to access everything from Google to news sites without using virtual private networks.
As thousands of delegates gather for the annual “two sessions” meeting, it is increasingly difficult for VPN software to circumvent censorship, and outages are becoming more frequent than at previous sensitive political events.
“Currently, censorship is heightened due to political meetings in China,” confirmed a representative from Liechtenstein service company Astrill, a VPN service provider popular with foreigners in China.
“Unfortunately, not all VPN protocols currently work properly,” they said.
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 X.
Security was heightened during both sessions, with police 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.
A tag discussing Beijing’s decision to cancel the prime minister’s traditional press conference was 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.
Domestic media are controlled by the state, and widespread censorship of social media is often used to suppress negative or critical coverage. Regulators have previously urged investors to avoid reading foreign news reports about China.
Previously, President Xi Jinping said that the Communist Party’s control over the Internet has been “strengthened” and that it is crucial for the country to “govern cyberspace.”
French media agency