Chinese ban on the use of VPN services comes into effect

In China, the ban on the use of ‘unauthorized’ VPN services came into effect on Saturday. This means that VPN connections that have not been approved by the government can no longer be used. It is not yet clear how strictly the rules will be observed.

From March 31, only government-approved VPN services will be allowed to be used in China. However, it is unclear what the consequences will be if consumers and companies nevertheless use services that cannot bear the approval of the Chinese authorities. For example, a number of Chinese companies told Reuters news agency that it is still unclear what penalties apply to the use of unauthorized VPN services.

According to the companies surveyed, the Chinese government has not issued any guidelines on the use of VPN services. As a result, it is still unclear whether the use of unapproved VPN services will be tackled immediately, and if so, how. The companies surveyed by Reuters do not immediately expect a strict approach.

China took the first steps towards banning VPNs early last year. This was primarily about tackling providers of VPN services. For example, some time ago a Chinese was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for offering such a service. The authorities are tackling the use of VPNs because it allows them to bypass the Chinese ‘firewall’, which fools internet censorship in the country.