China steps up Internet censorship by cracking down on VPNs

The Chinese government is blocking encryption services which allow users to access sites like Google and Twitter.

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NG HAN GUAN / THE ASSICATED PRESS (FILE PHOTO)

A computer users sit near a monitor display with a message from the Chinese police on the proper use of the Internet at an Internet cafe in Beijing, China.

Fri Jan 30 2015

Beijing is blocking Internet services that let users bypass the Great Firewall of China.

“China has the upper hand when it comes to blocking sites and services.” says Karl Kathuria, CEO of Psiphon, a Toronto-based VPN company. VPN (virtual private network) allows a user to encrypt their Internet data.

Kathuria expects China will use increasingly more sophisticated techniques to prevent its citizens from accessing popular websites like Google, Facebook and Twitter. He hopes VPN companies can “keep people in China connected with the rest of the world.”

Circumventing Chinese Internet censorship is an uphill battle. “VPNs operating outside of China that want to reach a China user base will have to make a lot of effort to keep their service available,” Kathuria said.

VPN companies can use a technique called “obfuscation” to try circumventing China’s Internet rules. VPN traffic is disguised as SSL, a kind of everyday encrypted communication used in online banking. Obfuscation isn’t a solution, but only makes it harder for China to block.

The Chinese government blocks VPN traffic using a technique called deep packet inspection where every piece of data is examined as it passes over its border.

But Kathuria said there are many other ways China can block companies like his. The government can block IP addresses linked to VPN sites or the protocols they use. Blocking a VPN’s protocol prevents the language it uses to communicate from working online.

When it comes to China and VPN access, Kathuria said, “authorities will block them whenever they see a need to do so.”