China Chokes VPN Use, Government Permission Now Needed

For many internet users in China, the use of virtual private network (VPN) services is the only way to operate online without having to worry about the government breathing down their necks. Now, the Chinese government is trying to take even this option away by implementing new rules pertaining to its use. Citizens will now need permission in order to use VPNs, which effectively means that it has been banned.

The move to limit the use of VPNs is part of China’s revamped measures by the country’s Cyberspace Administration, which took effect the week before, PC Mag reports. Among the new rules being implemented was to have all websites that could be accessed from China to have the domain name, “.cn.”

This is to ensure that all websites that Chinese citizens can visit are easily monitored by the government since they are already registered on the list. More than that, it also restricts access via VPN because it affects the user side of the equation instead of the service provider. Basically, even if the company providing the VPN manages to find a way around the restriction, it wouldn’t make a difference to the users.

On that note, this is just a side-effect of a rule that was implemented separately from the VPN issue. The Chinese government has specific guidelines in place now, which specifically targets the service, CNET reports. Ensuring that users won’t be able to access any website without the appropriate domain name is just one part of the wall. The other is by registering VPN services so that the regulators will be in control of the only way to circumvent the former issue.

Aside from VPNs, other online services such as ISPs, data centers, and content distribution networks will also need to register with the Chinese government from now on. It’s said that the government always had control over these entities anyway, so this is basically a formality at this point.