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Coronavirus sees China crack down on VPNs

The ongoing coronavirus crisis is making it more difficult for Chinese citizens and expats in the country to access the global internet as the Chinese government has once again initiated a crackdown on VPN services.

By preventing users from accessing VPNs within its borders, China can more easily control the flow of information into and out of the country. While this allows the country to stop misinformation regarding the coronavirus from spreading online, it also makes it more difficult for Chinese citizens and residents to find out what is really going on around the world.

VPNs give users the ability to bypass China's Great Firewall and the country's government allows these services to operate to some degree.

Although the Chinese government has banned private, unregistered VPN services, it does allow government-registered ones to operate in the country. Registered VPNs are mainly used by foreign and domestic businesses that need to access the global internet as part of their daily operations. For example, many Chinese businesses have a strong presence on Twitter, despite the service being banned in the country, and they all use registered VPNs to access it.

China's VPN crackdown

For the most part, China has enforced its VPN ban more forcefully against VPN providers than it has against individuals using these services within its borders. However, the Chinese government has established a clear pattern of cracking down on VPNs during times of potential political tensions. 

For instance, during last year's National People's Congress meeting in March, which is the largest annual political gathering in China, many VPN users complained that they were unable to bypass the country's firewall. The same thing occurred last September when users voiced concerns about VPN servers being down ahead of the 70th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The website Greatfire tracks the performance of VPNs in China and according to its creator Charlie Smith, VPN users across the country have found it increasingly difficult to use these services since the coronavirus outbreak began. Smith provided further insight on the current situation in China in a statement to Fortune, saying:

“The current situation for VPNs is very similar to what happens during major government meetings in China. The authorities throttle VPN usage, rendering use of the foreign Internet near impossible."

Greatfire tracks VPN speeds over a 60-day period and since the outbreak began, 10 of the top 15 VPNs working in China have shown a significant decline in performance.

  • Also check out our complete list of the best VPN services

Via Fortune



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