China moves to block VPN access, a service used by millions including Africans to connect to social…
Published
An African man uses a laptop (AFP / BBC.co.uk)
A report by Bloomberg says the government has given a deadline of February 2018 to telecommunications carriers in the country to block access to virtual private networks (VPN).
The new directive will block global access to free internet in the country.
China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access, which is severely regulated active by government employees. (China Daily Mail)
If Chinese state-run telecommunications firms, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, abide by the new directive, they will bar people from using VPNs.
In accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “cyber sovereignty” campaign, China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access, which is severely regulated active by government employees.
According to President Jinping, his tightly policed internet regime will preserve a social stability in the country.
Currently, millions of people, including many Africans, use VPN technology to circumvent China’s censorship system, known as the Great Firewall.
Speaking to Business Insider SSA, some Africans have expressed concern that they might be put out of touch with family members living in China when the new law goes into play.
A Togolese, Herman Dzigbodi told Business Insider SSA, “When this is implemented it will be very hard for the thousands of Africans who do business and school in China.”
“I lived in the country for almost a decade and VPN’s allowed me to stay in touch with my family via Facebook. Its not like a phone call you know”, he added.
On how this might affect international business in China, Ako Rajour, a former student at Xiamen Daxue said, “I think the businessmen might even suffer the most.Some require it to check mails and other aspects of their business. It will be a huge headache.”
The new directive will block global access to free internet in China (ChinaDaily)
But the new order will create a total shutdown in access to websites likes, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
Without a working VPN, services like the video chat apps, Skype and Viber, which is used widely by Africans, do not work as efficiently as expected.
Originally published at senaquashie.com on April 28, 2016. Because of the (very) fast changes to the ecosystem of technology in Africa, I avoid making predictions. But in terms of the online publications, I am convinced that the bloggers who decide to put it in a professional effort will take over many local publications. And thus …
The standoff is not over between Apple and the FBI. If the FBI has managed to break the iPhone’s security, others may do so in the future — this could undermine the trust between Apple and its clients and even impact iPhone sales. A court ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone used by Syed …
It is time to reflect on technical decentralization but also focus mainly on user awareness. Tim Berners-Lee With the US-based FBI doing everything possible to be able to tap into emails and web browsing history without resorting to warrants issued by a judge, revelations of Edward Snowden have only echoed that the Internet could be …
China moves to block VPN access, a service used by millions including Africans to connect to social…
A report by Bloomberg says the government has given a deadline of February 2018 to telecommunications carriers in the country to block access to virtual private networks (VPN).
The new directive will block global access to free internet in the country.
If Chinese state-run telecommunications firms, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, abide by the new directive, they will bar people from using VPNs.
In accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “cyber sovereignty” campaign, China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access, which is severely regulated active by government employees.
According to President Jinping, his tightly policed internet regime will preserve a social stability in the country.
Currently, millions of people, including many Africans, use VPN technology to circumvent China’s censorship system, known as the Great Firewall.
Speaking to Business Insider SSA, some Africans have expressed concern that they might be put out of touch with family members living in China when the new law goes into play.
A Togolese, Herman Dzigbodi told Business Insider SSA, “When this is implemented it will be very hard for the thousands of Africans who do business and school in China.”
“I lived in the country for almost a decade and VPN’s allowed me to stay in touch with my family via Facebook. Its not like a phone call you know”, he added.
On how this might affect international business in China, Ako Rajour, a former student at Xiamen Daxue said, “I think the businessmen might even suffer the most.Some require it to check mails and other aspects of their business. It will be a huge headache.”
But the new order will create a total shutdown in access to websites likes, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.
Without a working VPN, services like the video chat apps, Skype and Viber, which is used widely by Africans, do not work as efficiently as expected.
Originally published at www.businessinsider.com on July 12, 2017.
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