Why does China block websites?

[Guest]

I mean, they know that people can access to them via proxy/VPN/Tor so why do they bother trying to block those websites?

[Shelley]

Yes but you have to know about them and how to use them and also you need to want to access them. I think it keeps the casual surfer away from these things. If its not immediately available, lots of people won't bother.

 

Its a bit like putting a velvet rope round an exhibit, it doesn't really pose a barrier but keeps most people away from the item.

[NinKenDo]

I thought this for a long time. But I realised something very quickly. When these firewalls go up, they cause inconvenience right. Well people hate inconvenience, but they'll put up with it to get what they want.

 

But what the CCP has supplied is very subtle. Because you see alternative services exist within China, and these services are tailored to Chinese people's wants and needs and expectations in a way that many foreign products can't be. China is a big enough economy to support that.

 

So you have these Western products that are harder to access and not tailored to your needs like the unblocked Chinese products.

 

For your average Zhou this is a no brainer. You just use the Chinese service.

 

The Chinese Government isn't really trying to pretend like Chinese people can't access these services, it's just crafting a climate in which most of your average Chinese citizens are going to be using services where the content is much more controllable, and where users are much more identifiable. And for most of the populace, that works.

 

Most of my Chinese friends here in Australia know perfect tly well how to use a VPN. But not only do they use Chinese services while in China, they use those same services while here too.

 

The only time they use their VPN is to access their University email which goes through Gmail.

 

Actually the Chinese government is very cunning.

[roddy]

They're having a pretty good shot at banning VPNs too...

 

It's true there's ways around the blocks, but those involve a little bit extra time and effort and for people who aren't that interested or aware of the other options, that'll put them off. The dedicated dissident will always find a way to post on Twitter, but the government can tolerate that if only other dedicated dissidents are reading his posts - they're happy that vast bulk of the population can't or doesn't bother. 

 

Another factor is boosting domestic services. Block Twitter and you push people to domestic equivalents - which are under close control.

[889]

Plus, there's now a movement to make VPN use illegal, starting in Chongqing:

 

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/ban-04032017101601.html

 

 

[vellocet]

Guh, I hate this line of thinking.  Not every Chinese person has a Visa card from a foreign bank to be able to pay for a VPN.  Lots of them don't even know that VPNs exist.  Lots of them don't speak English which is pretty much required to make a VPN valuable.  If there's a great Chinese website worth reading, it's probably hosted in China.  

 

The point of the Great Firewall isn't to completely shut off China.  Where did anyone get that idea?  The point is to make things inconvenient so that people will just give up.  Even me with my VPN, it sometimes times out or won't connect, so I use the internet "bare" from my Chinese home DSL IP.  Most things work fine, only a small list of sites doesn't work.  

[anonymoose]

4 hours ago, vellocet said:

 Most things work fine, only a small list of sites doesn't work.

 

The small list that comprises about 90% of web traffic in the west.

 

Honestly, if I have a chance to spend an extended period of time overseas again, China would be the obvious choice, but just because of internet restrictions, I'd seriously consider Taiwan or Japan instead.

[NinKenDo]

Yeah, the two highest trafficked search Engines in the world (Google and YouTube), is not 'just a couple sites'. But I understand what you mean. When alternatives are available, your average Zhou is gonna use those instead.

[ChTTay]

There are also Chinese VPNs and proxies. 

 

You used to be able to find them on taobao. 

 

I use a Chinese one myself, paid with Alipay on my phone. 

[歐博思]

On 4/5/2017 at 4:11 PM, anonymoose said:

Honestly, if I have a chance to spend an extended period of time overseas again, China would be the obvious choice, but just because of internet restrictions, I'd seriously consider Taiwan or Japan instead.

[Guest]

On 4/5/2017 at 11:08 AM, NinKenDo said:

But what the CCP has supplied is very subtle. Because you see alternative services exist within China, and these services are tailored to Chinese people's wants and needs and expectations in a way that many foreign products can't be. China is a big enough economy to support that.

 

[Deleted].