Chinese app allows small glimpse beyond 'Great Firewall'

[Mista]

BEIJING (Reuters) - An app launched this week in China allows access to some content on Western social media sites long banned domestically such as YouTube, marking the first product by a major Chinese tech firm that helps internet users bypass the Great Firewall.

Tuber was launched on third-party Android stores in China by a subsidiary of Qihoo 360, the biggest Chinese cybersecurity firm. The app, which has since seen millions of downloads, is not available on the Apple store just yet.

While such proxy apps are not new in China, where a virtual private network (VPN) service is typically needed to allow domestic users passage to sites such as Google or Facebook, the arrival of Tuber suggests a slight lowering of the Great Firewall.

While welcomed by internet users in China, some complained about the app’s slowness. References to sensitive political issues such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and the Hong Kong protests were also censored in part, according to Reuters checks.

Users of the app must also register with personal information such as their identity card numbers and real names, while being warned against flouting state interests and going against the country’s socialist system.

Qihoo 360 could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chinese app allows small glimpse beyond 'Great Firewall'

An app launched this week in China allows access to some content on Western social media sites long banned domestically such as YouTube, marking the first product by a major Chinese tech firm that helps internet users bypass the Great Firewall.

www.reuters.com

 

[ILC]

It was blocked after 24 hours. And very good it was blocked. China is not ready against imperialist fake news war, not until China will reach parity with USA in 2030. After 2030 GFW will be probably reduced to a tuber standard.

 

[vi-va]

VPN is there, always. Just couple of dollars. I am in China with VPN. Easy.

 

[mike2000 is back]

VPN is there, always. Just couple of dollars. I am in China with VPN. Easy.

Not everybody is prepared to waste extra time/dollars to use that just to have access for information worldwide. So i believe only a very small minority actually use VPN.
Moreover, is it not officially illegal to use that in China? i think the party hasn't been enforcing this simply because they know that only a tiny insignificant minority (mostly foreigners and overseas Chinese visiting/working in China like you) use it. If a significant number/vast majority of Chinese started using VPN then the party will start cracking down heavily on such people, since it would jeopardise the purpose of the great wall and make it useless.

 

[vi-va]

Not everybody is prepared to waste extra time/dollars to use that just to have access for information worldwide. So i believe only a very small minority actually use VPN.
Moreover, is it not officially illegal to use that in China? i think the party hasn't been enforcing this simply because they know that only a tiny insignificant minority (mostly foreigners and overseas Chinese visiting/working in China like you) use it. If a significant number/vast majority of Chinese started using VPN then the party will start cracking down heavily on such people, since it would jeopardise the purpose of the great wall and make it useless.

How many is significant? 1%? If 1 percent, it will be 14 millions. That's 21% of UK population.

The thing is, China government is not afraid Chinese have access for information worldwide, actually we have. There are 140 millions Chinese travel abroad annually, and I am one of them.

I compare the so called worldwide info, especially English info, very shallow. There are so many Chinese website translate and introduce western news, they just ignore and filtered some trash.

The Chinese knew the world very well. It's the English world ignorant and knew little about China.

If China get rid of Fire Wall, the world will get another 1 billion readers, who will criticize and bad mouth everywhere, like Indians.

 

[Indos]

Not everybody is prepared to waste extra time/dollars to use that just to have access for information worldwide. So i believe only a very small minority actually use VPN.
Moreover, is it not officially illegal to use that in China? i think the party hasn't been enforcing this simply because they know that only a tiny insignificant minority (mostly foreigners and overseas Chinese visiting/working in China like you) use it. If a significant number/vast majority of Chinese started using VPN then the party will start cracking down heavily on such people, since it would jeopardise the purpose of the great wall and make it useless.

Security is also the issue here, not every one want to do transaction over VPN service which is run by unknown business abroad.

 

[vi-va]

Security is also the issue here, not every one want to do transaction over VPN service which is run by unknown business abroad.

With PRISM, I don't think there is any thing more threatening. When you open the gate, using Facebook, twitter, google, youtube, instagram, whatsapp, there is no privacy and security. Everything is monitored by BIG BROTHER by default.

 

[Song Hong]

Every big corporate access to intranet or internet is on some sort of VPN service providers, and part or most of it are often outsourced.