China seals internet shut: Total info control

Great Firewall of China (GFW) set to get stronger as China moves to stop all the ways that people get around it to access internet outside of China.

INTERNET & CHINA

China seals internet shut: Total info control 

24/01/2017

China has launched a 14-month-long cleanup of the internet.

The goal of the campaign is to root out internet services that circumvent (go around) and avoid the government's internet censorship.

Virtual private networks (VPNs) or leased lines that allow users and businesses to access blocked overseas websites without government permission are forbidden said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a directive.

Wikipedia has a very complete explanation of what a VPN is:

"A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network, such as the Internet. It enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network... VPNs may allow employees to securely access a corporate intranet while located outside the office. They are used to securely connect geographically separated offices of an organization, creating one cohesive network. Individual Internet users may secure their wireless transactions with a VPN, to circumvent geo - restrictions [such as Netflix movies and TV programs] and censorship [as in China], or to connect to proxy servers for the purpose of protecting personal identity and location. However, some Internet sites block access to known VPN technology to prevent the circumvention of their geo-restrictions" (see here).

UNCLEAR WHETHER INTERNET INDUSTRY WILL COMPLY WITH GOVT ORDERS

It is unclear whether the internet services industry would comply with government orders to fully snuff out VPNs according to a co-founder of US supported anti - censorship group Greatfire.org (see here)  who goes by the pseudonym Charlie Smith.

"They will push back, quietly ... if they deem the cost of running these checks to be too high," said Smith, whose group helps internet users inside China bypass blockages on censored content.

Between now and March 2018, authorities will enforce the regulations with inspections of cloud - hosting and content-delivery services, an industry that has shown signs of "disorderly development," the ministry said Sunday.

President Xi Jinping meets newspaper editors in February of last year, telling them that absolute loyalty to the party was the media's highest priority. (Xinhua photo via AP)

CONTROL OF INFORMATION ACCESS

The new enforcement measures are the latest steps in the Chinese government's efforts to cement its grip over the domestic internet and closely control what information may be accessed by the country's 731 million internet users.

President Xi Jinping's administration has championed a vision of "internet sovereignty" in which governments have the right to wall off their nation's cyberspace from unwanted elements as if it were physical territory.

The censors' reach has extended beyond websites.

MOBILE PHONE APPS: DANGERS TO SOCIAL STABILITY

Earlier this month, China's top internet regulator said it would begin regulating mobile app store offerings after it found apps that disseminated information it considered illegal or a danger to social stability.

The announcement came weeks after Apple removed apps by The New York Times from its app store in China in response to a government request.

VPNS USED TO JUMP OVER GREAT FIREWALL OF CHINA (GFW)

The so-called Great Firewall of China (GFW) is a phrase that stands for all the policies, techniques and censorship that China's government uses to block access to the internet in western countries  (see here).

To get around (circumvent) the GFW and the government's numerous internet filters that block foreign internet content, foreign and domestic companies in China use VPNs to conduct business.

Private citizens often use the technology to access banned foreign websites such as Google, Facebook and overseas news outlets.

In response, China has blocked access to VPNs and regularly disrupts their channels.

NEW DIRECTIVE: EVERYONE TO REGISTER & SELF-INSPECT

Wu Xiaodong, director of the China Digital Information and Security Industrial Alliance, said VPN services have previously been targeted by Chinese regulators but never with this degree of clarity.

Under the new directive, all internet service providers, data centres and content distribution networks must be licensed with the government.

They must also conduct "self-inspections" for any unlawful activity taking place on their servers, which would include those discreetly providing VPN services.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1185469/china-attacks-vpns-censor-beating-software

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