China to start blocking online traffic, amid VPN crackdown

This move comes after dozens of popular China-based VPNs have been shut down, and there have been rolling attacks on overseas VPNs.

A Chinese telecoms carrier said for Reuters that it had begun closing virtual private networks (VPNs) and other tools that can bypass the “Firewall”, after receiving a directive from authorities to start blocking services. While the Great Firewall blocks access to overseas sites, much like a border control, the telecoms companies can filter and censor online access at a more granular level, in the home and on smartphones.

Furthermore, the telecoms companies have taken up their new filtering roles under a law introduced in January 2017, and set to come into full effect in March 2018. Experts say this could lead to increasingly targeted attacks on VPNs, one of the few tools Chinese can use to access overseas internet services, according to Reuters.

Beyond VPNs, experts say the telecoms firms could potentially bar a range of services, and even prevent mobile apps from being installed.