'Clouding' the Issue - the Great Firewall

[Randy W]

Over the years the "censorship" here has just become worse and worse. Using a VPN used to be something I did occasionally during the day, now I'm connected to one 24/7. It's easily my third biggest annoyance living here, just slightly behind the lack of food variety/quality and pollution.

 

 

I would agree with that 100%, although 2 of my favorite food cities ANYWHERE are Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

[Randy W]

in the NY Times

 

China Uses ‘Picking Quarrels’ Charge to Cast a Wider Net Online

 

 

Artists, essayists, lawyers, bloggers and others deemed to be online troublemakers have been hauled into police stations and investigated or imprisoned for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a charge that was once confined to physical activities like handing out fliers or organizing protests.

 

. . .

 

The latest wave of detentions of so-called provocateurs took place this month, when police officers across China rounded up more than 200 civil rights lawyers and their colleagues. Some remain in detention and may be charged with picking quarrels and other crimes.

An article in People’s Daily, the flagship Communist Party newspaper, accused them of organizing protests and using instant messages to “engage in agitation and planning.” Global Times, a party-run tabloid, said the lawyers “often were no longer engaged in law, but in picking quarrels and provoking trouble with a plainly political slant.”

The legal definition of “picking quarrels” was expanded in late 2013 by the nation’s top legal bodies, the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, to encompass online behavior.

The court said the charge could apply to anyone using information networks to “berate or intimidate others” and spread false information. First-time offenders can be sentenced to up to five years in prison.

. . .

He said security officials may prefer this charge because it may be easier to make a case for “picking quarrels” than for subversion of the state, another charge commonly used to punish political malcontents.

 

[Randy W]

Between the Great Firewall and BMW, Google's new domains are already blocked in China

 

Alphabet, Google's new parent company, is already blocked in China

 

Users in China visiting abc.xyz to read Alphabet chief executive and Google founder Larry Page's blog post about the company's plans will be greeted by an error page.

According to GreatFire.org, which monitors internet censorship in China, the domain is "100% blocked".

READ MORE: In shock move, Google announces new parent company Alphabet

It is unclear however whether the blocking was a deliberate move following the announcement on Monday US-time, or if abc.xyz is being blocked because it points to already-verboten Google servers.

Since the start of this year, all remaining Google services – including Gmail, Calendar, Maps and the Google Play app store – have been blocked by the so-called Great Firewall internet filtering system. Google's search products and YouTube have been blocked in China for a number of years.

 

. . .

 

Being blocked in China is not the only potential URL problem for Alphabet. It was widely reported this week that the company does not own alphabet.com or the Twitter handle @alphabet.

The domain is owned by BMW subsidiary Alphabet Fleet Management, which also owns facebook.com/alphabet. The Twitter handle is owned by Chris Andrikanich, a "dad, husband, self-proclaimed geek" from Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Since the announcement, Andrikanich has appended "I'm not affiliated w/ Google/Alphabet Inc" to his profile.

 

[Randy W]

Ironically, Google Play (the Google Android app store) censors itself - Google doesn't allow it to be installed on any Android phone with a China country code. Google Play can't be installed on my Samsung phone unless I root it. So I keep my older Samsung phone, which IS rooted, download an app I want to it, and then side-load from there on to my newer phone. What's even more ironic there is that many of the Chinese brands don't have the China country code, and CAN support Google Play.

 

This may change -

Google looks to return to China with censored version of app store by autumn

Edited September 7, 2015 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

This from the SCMP just yesterday - I'm not sure what it signifies, since I haven't had any more trouble than usual. Leading into the V-Day parade, I would change servers as much as 2 or 3 times a day, now, hardly at all. Perhaps a specific blockage of Astrill's servers, or perhaps it's just specific protocols, like the article says,

" . . . China is cracking down on IPSec VPNs using GFW auto-learning technique," Astrill said late last month.

 

That crackdown has now expanded to take in the widely used PPTP and L2TP protocols, according to the company's most recent statement.

 

 

VPN services blocked in China as Astrill warns of 'increased censorship' following WW2 parade

 

A popular service used to bypass Chinese internet restrictions has told users it is facing "increased censorship" in the wake of a major military parade in Beijing.

 

On Monday, virtual private network (VPN) provider Astrill sent a message to users of its iPhone app, informing them that the Great Firewall was blocking all VPN protocols "using machine learning".

 

 

 

I usually see improved service after I pay my bill in August, until around the Golden Week holiday in October. Our bill is around $150 for one year of both cable and Internet service.

[Randy W]

An interesting and informative, but fairly technical, article from CloudFlare

 

How We Extended CloudFlare's Performance and Security Into Mainland China

 

Note: Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a standardized exterior gateway protocol designed to exchange routing and reachability information between autonomous systems (AS) on the Internet.

From a technical perspective, the Chinese Internet, despite its many similarities, is different than the rest of the world. Unlike much of the rest of the world where network routing is open, in China core Internet access is largely controlled by two ISPs: China Telecom and China Unicom. These ISPs control IP address allocation and routing inside of the country. Even the Chinese Internet giants rarely own their own IP address allocations, or use BGP to control routing across the Chinese Internet. This makes BGP Anycast and many of the other routing techniques we use across CloudFlare's network impossible inside of China.

At the same time, there are also frequent bottlenecks both within and between the domestic ISPs. For instance, China Telecom operates many distinct networks across several provinces, many of which operate independently of one another. The interconnection points between these networks, and the ISPs themselves, are also candidates for congestion, with too much traffic paired with too little capacity. The connectivity between different ISPs in different provinces can become so fraught that it is sometimes more efficient to route traffic outside the country, across a third party network, and then back in.

. . .

Even though we didn’t have a presence in mainland China, we were surprised that Chinese companies continued to sign up for CloudFlare's service. When we surveyed them, there were two primary reasons: 1) we were better at mitigating DDoS attacks (a huge problem for businesses in China) than any rival service; and 2) they had an audience outside of China, and wanted access to our global network even if it meant that their performance suffered at home.

By the summer of 2013, CloudFlare's market share inside China began to get the attention of several Internet companies in the region. Despite the fact that several services with similar feature sets to CloudFlare had started to spring up in China, CloudFlare quickly became the market share leader. Beginning that summer, we began to meet with potential partners to discuss whether there was a way to work together.

. . .

The performance benefits of our China expansion are staggering. We are now able to reduce the time to serve a request from outside of China by over 200ms. Across the span of a single day, the time savings for all the requests served inside China across the CloudFlare and Yunjiasu services collectively saves more than 240 years of time that Chinese Internet users would otherwise have to wait for websites to load. Moreover, website availability in China for sites served on the China network has nearly doubled. These benefits will only increase as we begin to serve more customers across the China network.

. . .

Existing and new CloudFlare customers can request to be served in China by filling out an information request at:

https://www.cloudflare.com/china

Initially, the China network will be limited to Enterprise customers. Over time, as we are better able to operationalize the onboarding of customers, we hope to extend the benefits to all plan levels.

This is an announcement that has been four years in the making. We’re excited to have built the only truly global performance and security platform. And, while China is the largest country in the world that--until today--didn’t have any CloudFlare data centers, there’s another one that’s almost as big that’s still missing some. Stay tuned as that’s soon about to change.

 

[Greg.D.]

It would seem that cloudflare is replicating some BGP functionality or displacing it which makes me think they can only be doing this in close cooperation with the party. Not that it's a bad thing, but I know some of the DDOS attacks had some official approval (think of those launched by N Korea). Or CCP vs GitHub.

 

So, the story behind the story is probably more interesting, but we won't know it for a while.

[Randy W]

in the NY Times - this is directed at VPN users in Xinjiang:

 

China Cuts Mobile Service of Xinjiang Residents Evading Internet Filters

The Chinese government is shutting down the mobile service of residents in Xinjiang who use software that lets them circumvent Internet filters, escalating an already aggressive electronic surveillance strategy in the country’s fractious western territory.

 

. . .

The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity over concerns about retaliation from local security forces for speaking to foreign news media, all said their telecommunications provider had told them to go to a local police station to have service restored.

 

“Due to police notice, we will shut down your cellphone number within the next two hours in accordance with the law,” read a text message received by one of the people, who lives in the regional capital of Urumqi. “If you have any questions, please consult the cyberpolice affiliated with the police station in your vicinity as soon as possible.”

 

. . .

 

Any move to constrain users of virtual private networks across the country would most likely hamper foreign and local businesses alike. Both often require some access to the global Internet, whether to get market news, check sites like Gmail or put advertisements on Facebook.

 

. . .

 

One of the residents whose service was shut down said that when he went to the Urumqi police station, there was a line of about 20 people, including several foreigners, waiting to ask the police to restore their mobile phone accounts.

 

[Doug]

Wife can't access her Mutual funds most of the time from home the past 2 weeks. She is having a friend pull it all out and back in the bank.

[Randy W]

In case anyone doubts the importance of having a good, functioning VPN . . .

 

The architect of China's Great Firewall embarrassed after needing to use VPN in front of live audience

 

On April 3 Fang Binxing was giving a speech on internet safety at his Alma mater, the Harbin Institute Technology. During the speech, he presented a defense for internet sovereignty and used North Korea’s own version of the system as a talking point.

Things got awkward really fast, however, when he attempted to access blocked web pages hosted in South Korea to demonstrate his point. From there his speech went from being a defense of the Firewall to a demonstration of its stupidity.

Unable to access the websites he needed to continue his speech, Fang somewhat unexpectedly resorted to the same illicit tool which all expats in China are all familiar with: the beloved VPN.

Those of us who have used VPNs in China know that it is at best a haphazard solution, with VPN users often plagued by spotty service and slow internet connections.

This problem was also demonstrated by Fang, with his internet connection cutting out twice while trying to access Facebook and Google. The problem was so bad that he ended up resorting to using Baidu to find a screenshot of a Google homepage.

 

[Randy W]

in the WSJ

 

Chinese Voice Frustration Over ‘Great Firewall’

 

Average Chinese who usually avoid confrontation with the government are taking advantage of a public comment period of a draft Internet regulation to express their frustration with intensified blocking of foreign websites.

. . .

 

The immediate issue is an article in the regulation that appears to prohibit the country’s Internet service providers from providing connections to websites in China that have domains, or Web addresses, registered abroad. The bigger concern is the government’s unrelenting effort to bolster what’s known as the Great Firewall in a way that increasingly frustrates many Chinese Internet users.

 

A Shanghai-based marketing executive at an international trading company who does part-time translation work, Ms. Wang says the government’s existing practice of blocking many foreign websites already makes her work tougher. When she was translating an English book about Morocco last year, she couldn’t access Wikipedia and other foreign sites to check information in the book. A series of virtual private networks she had used—software that can circumvent the firewall—had been blocked. Facing a deadline, she asked a friend in Germany to look up the information she needed and email it to her.

“I was a hipster who didn’t pay attention to politics or social issues,” says Ms. Wang, 33 years old. “The restrictions of the Great Firewall changed me.”

 

[wawster]

I found it quite interesting that last December, when Rose had her interview, I could not access my Gmail, etc while we were in Guangzhou, but.....

On 2 separate occasions, we had stayed in the Crowne Plaza in Guangzhou, near the airport for my last night in China, so that my flight the next morning would be easy to get to. Once was last May, and once was in the middle of last December, after her interview.

On both occasions, I had free, unrestricted access to my Gmail, other Google services and other restricted sites using the free wireless network in the hotel. I remember being quite surprised at this.

 

I wonder if they employ their own VPN?

 

In Hong Kong, last January, of course, there were no problems.

[Randy W]

I found it quite interesting that last December, when Rose had her interview, I could not access my Gmail, etc while we were in Guangzhou, but.....

On 2 separate occasions, we had stayed in the Crowne Plaza in Guangzhou, near the airport for my last night in China, so that my flight the next morning would be easy to get to. Once was last May, and once was in the middle of last December, after her interview.

On both occasions, I had free, unrestricted access to my Gmail, other Google services and other restricted sites using the free wireless network in the hotel. I remember being quite surprised at this.

 

I wonder if they employ their own VPN?

 

In Hong Kong, last January, of course, there were no problems.

 

 

In the past, most hotels and universities had cable access to HBO and CNN, and I guess un-Great Firewalled internet access also, although I expect that's been tightened up a little due to more recent "upgrades". Occasionally, you'll see a temporary breach in the Firewall, but usually not for long.

[Randy W]

in the Global Times

 

Why does the Western media hate the GFW so much?

 

The websites of Time and The Economist have been blocked in China. The New York Times, with several other Western media outlets, have voiced support to each other by accusing China of blocking Western websites.

It is reported that US trade officials for the first time added China's system of Internet control, known as the Great Firewall, to an annual list of trade barriers, saying China's online controls have "posed a significant burden to foreign suppliers."

It requires a sophisticated capability to impose online limits to a tiny number of foreign websites or their harmful content while at the same time retaining connectivity between China's Internet and the world so as to ensure the global flow of information. China has achieved this - it can communicate with the outside world, meanwhile, Western opinions cannot easily penetrate as ideological tools.

The Great Firewall is a system that filters and blocks harmful or unsafe information. It has caused some inconvenience when China and the outside world try to understand each other, but they have gradually adapted to this reality.

 

. . .

 

The Chinese people should not be misled by the West. We need to realize the complex background when the Great Firewall emerged. The freedom of trade bears a great significance to world development, while it is the US that has set enormous impediments. So far, the Americans still ban China's Huawei from their market, claiming the Chinese company would harm US national security. They put their own national interests above all.

The Great Firewall should be designed to make China become more powerful rather than isolated and fragile. We cannot count on it for every external intrigue. But it can earn us time to empower ourselves with soft power and strength.

 

 

 

It's not just the Western sites that are blocked, but the ones (such as CFL) that are crippled by impeded access to needed API functions that makes a VPN necessary.

[Randy W]

in the People's Daily and Xinhua

 

China's Xi calls for better development of Internet

 

 

 

Xi stressed the role of the Internet in directing and representing public opinion during the symposium.

 

Xi ordered officials to heed public opinions using the Internet. Officials should use the Internet more often to learn what are the concerns and wishes of the people, Xi noted.

 

There should be greater tolerance and patience to Internet users, Xi said, adding officials need to draw sincere suggestions and feedback from the Internet, help clarify public misconception or their fuzzy ideas about certain matters, dissolve public grudges and grievances, and correct their wrong perceptions.

 

For well-meant criticism raised on the Internet, be it at the overall work of the Party and the state, or at individual officials, be it gentle or harsh-sounding, Xi said, "we will not only welcome them, but also carefully study them for future references."