The Great Firewall is the name given to the censorship device used by the People’s Republic of China. China censors many foreign websites including news and some social media.

China has a long history of censoring content within its country. The Great Firewall was put in place to ensure that local people do not have access to certain content outside of the country.

Why Does The Great Firewall Exist?

In 1998 the Chinese Communist Party launched the Great Firewall project. This was done because they feared that the Chinese Democracy Party would use the internet to build up relationships with foreign countries.

Since then, the Great Firewall has been kept in place. It has been used to censor foreign news websites. The Chinese government fears that foreign news websites would taint the country’s reputation. The best solution for them was to stop people within their country from seeing the news altogether.

China also blocks some social media websites. Websites that we might use every day, such as Google, Twitter, and Facebook have all been blocked in China. This was done to prevent any ‘western propaganda’ from affecting their people.

Social media was also used as a form of communication by activists in China in 2009. The government proceeded to block social media platforms such as Facebook in order to control the situation.

Google searches, images, and videos were blocked by the Chinese government in 2009. This was done after a video emerged of police brutality. The government blocked the website in order to prevent any further ‘leaks’ from surfacing.

Despite many Google features being blocked, some services can still be accessed. This includes Google Translate and Google Maps, which can not be used to access news, videos or searches.

Why Would You Want to Bypass The Great Firewall?

There are various reasons for people to bypass the Great Firewall. China is home to many expatriates who still use their internet services.

The first reason would be to access social media. Social platforms make up a huge chunk of internet traffic. Foreigners who live in China, or even tourists who visit China might want to access their social media accounts.

They use these social media accounts to keep in touch with their family and friends. People also often post updates and photos of themselves on social media sites.

Some expatriates that live in China may also want to get access to the news websites that they have in their home countries. This may be to keep up with what is happening in their country.

They may also want to see uncensored news content which has not been affected by the Chinese government. Some news articles may be faked in China, or incorrectly reported by local authorities.

How Can You Get Past The Great Firewall?

The easiest way to bypass the Great Firewall is to use a VPN or Virtual Private Network. When a VPN is activated, it can change your device’s location, which will bypass all of the censorship.

Making use of a VPN can change your device’s location and encrypt internet traffic. While you may be in China, you can change your device’s location to somewhere else in the world, for example, the United States or Canada.

It is advisable to have your VPN ready before you go to China. The Chinese government tend to block access to VPN websites where you can sign up and install the software. VPN applications have also been removed from the Chinese app stores.

Always make sure you test your VPN before you go to China. If you wait until you are in China to test it, you may find that the VPN does not work, or it may be outdated. It will then be too late to install a new one.

In order to test your VPN, install it on your device. Once it is ready, activate it and change the location of your device. Then browse through some websites to ensure that they all load properly.

Are There Any Risks to Bypassing The Great Firewall?

It is relatively safe to use a VPN while you are in China. You can use your VPN to access social media and news websites that may have been blocked by the Chinese government.

China is aware that people use VPNs in their country to bypass their Great Firewall. While they have blocked the websites allowing you to access VPNs, they are not too bothered about foreigners using VPNs.

Recently China has become stricter on VPNs by removing them from app stores and blocking access to them. They have also made some VPNs slower to prevent people from using them.

The use of a VPN is technically illegal in China, and it can result in receiving a fine or even being arrested. However, there have been no reports of foreigners being arrested or fined for using a VPN.

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