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A Chinese App Connects the Country to Censored Sites… for a Day

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Sumeet Manhas
A Chinese App Connects the Country to Censored Sites… for a Day

In China, many popular foreign websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Google are not accessible. That is usually true, except for one day this October when the Chinese internet security giant Qihoo 360 managed to launch an app which opened links to them. In all, it lasted less than a day, but many Chinese citizens downloaded it, and it could mean that the Chinese government might loosen the noose.

Internet Access Restricted in China

In China, access to foreign websites, especially from the Western world, is often restricted. That’s why, when news of the launch of two apps that could bypass the censorship came out, many people inside the country downloaded them. Tuber was the app for mobile phones and the one for PCs was called sgrennet.com. For less than 24 hours, Chinese were able to access various banned sites from China. But in reality, the app did not allow users to go beyond China’s Great Firewall (as the government’s method of blocking users is known around the world.)

If you have to go to China for work or are just visiting, you need to do what a percentage of the Chinese population does: Use a VPN to access foreign sites blocked by the Chinese government. In fact, experts believe there is up to 15% of the population in the country that does so. Not only will it enable you to visit the websites which are banned, but it will provide you with additional security for your computer. To learn more on VPN and how to remain safe and keep your information private, check-out Perimeter 81 Twitter account.

Could this be a Sign of Opening from the Chinese Government?

The fact that the news of the launch of the app was published on a state-controlled media, The Global Times, on their Twitter account, may signify that the Chinese government is looking to reduce its restrictions on access to foreign websites. However, even though the apps made it possible to access sites like Facebook or Google, when you tried a search for “Tiananmen Square” or “Xi Jinping”, for example, there were no search results. That shows clearly that the restrictions were not fully removed.

There are other signs of opening. Not long ago, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs supported an initiative to let data flow between borders. When we know that Beijing is trying to send positive signals to the international community, the idea of a lift (at least partially) of some the restrictions, is an idea not so far fetch. Maybe Tuber and sgrennet.com are meant to be the start of something to come, even if they have been temporarily banned.

 

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