Beijing is once again caught in the crosshairs of internet censorship as it is now cracking down further on VPN usage.
Just after ending its experiment with “internet transparency”, which entailed the tampering of accurate info about the Wuhan virus outbreak, Beijing is now trying to restrict its citizens from browsing the uncensored web.
Moreover, several popular VPNs typically used by the Chinese population are now at the receiving end of many state-backed attacks, because of which the Chinese netizens are having a tough time accessing sites such as Google.
Generally speaking, during “politically sensitive” periods such as the anniversary of the “June 4th incident“, Beijing’s “Great Firewall” tends to automatically restrict any VPN usage.
Responding to the ongoing fiasco with regards to the restriction of VPN usage across Beijing, ExpressVPN published a notice on its website saying: “We are aware of a new escalation of blocks in China, and our team is working around the clock to address the impact on connectivity”.
The death of the whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang sparked an outburst, resulting in the frustrated Chinese public demanding its government to ease the restrictions around free speech.
While the outburst did seem like it was about to overcome China’s control, it ended up being a temporary phase as the netizens of Beijing are now being imposed with a strict VPN ban.
What’s more, authentic and original stories from residents of Wuhan, who have witnessed the devastating effects of the outbreak may no longer find it easy to reach the western media outlets due to the ban.
The Chinese government has currently appointed 300 “journalists” who are tasked with reporting the official narrative around the country.
This has not been the first time for the Chinese netizens to experience such internet restrictions.
Back in 2017 and 2018, several VPNs were cracked down on by the Chinese government.
Nonetheless, users still seem to be finding ways to browse the news published by Western media houses as GreatFire’s website that allows Chinese users to browse foreign news: FreeBrowser.org, is now experiencing heavy traffic ever since the Wuhan outbreak and subsequent lockdown.
