Editing Internet censorship in China (section)

===Using a VPN service===
Internet censorship in China is circumvented by determined parties by using [[proxy servers]] outside the firewall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm|title="Race to the Bottom": Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship: II. How Censorship Works in China: A Brief Overview|website=www.hrw.org|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422063645/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/china0806/3.htm|archive-date=22 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Users may circumvent all of the censorship and monitoring of the Great Firewall if they have a working [[VPN]] or [[Secure Shell|SSH]] connection method to a computer outside mainland China. However, disruptions of VPN services have been reported and the free or popular services especially are increasingly being blocked.<ref name="guardvpn">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/13/china-cracks-down-on-vpn-use|title=China Cracks Down on VPN Use, Guardian News|location=London|work=The Guardian|first=Charles|last=Arthur|date=13 May 2011|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202085302/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/may/13/china-cracks-down-on-vpn-use|archive-date=2 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=guardvpn2>{{cite news|last=Arthur|first=Charles|title=China tightens 'Great Firewall' internet control with new technology|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/14/china-tightens-great-firewall-internet-control|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 March 2013|location=London|date=14 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910001533/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/dec/14/china-tightens-great-firewall-internet-control|archive-date=10 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> During the [[2022 COVID-19 protests in China]], the Chinese government intensified crackdowns on VPNs.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-02 |title=China brings in 'emergency' level censorship over zero-Covid protests |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/02/china-brings-in-emergency-level-censorship-over-zero-covid-protests |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207033817/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/02/china-brings-in-emergency-level-censorship-over-zero-covid-protests |url-status=live }}</ref> To avoid [[deep packet inspection]] and continue providing services in China some VPN providers implemented server obfuscation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-10-24|title=The rise of obfuscated VPN servers and their use cases: A guide|url=https://cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2019/oct/24/rise-obfuscated-vpn-servers-and-their-use-cases-guide/|access-date=2020-10-12|website=Cloud Computing News|language=en-GB|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020202142/https://cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2019/oct/24/rise-obfuscated-vpn-servers-and-their-use-cases-guide/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2021, the Cyberspace Administration of China proposed new rules that would punish individuals and institutions for helping internet users bypass the 'Great Firewall', further attempting to restrict VPN usage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Feng |first1=Coco |title=China's VPN providers face harsher punishment for scaling the Great Firewall under new data regulation |url=https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3156095/chinas-vpn-providers-face-harsher-punishment-scaling-great-firewall |website=South China Morning Post |date=15 November 2021 |access-date=31 August 2024}}</ref> However, such article did not appear on the final version of the law published in September 2024.<ref name = "GFWdeleted1">{{cite news |title=日报｜以陆军进入黎巴嫩；美国大选副总统辩论将举行；上海现随机杀人事件 {{!}} 端传媒 Initium Media |url=https://theinitium.com/zh-hans/article/20241001-daily-brief |access-date=9 January 2025 |work=theinitium.com |publisher=The Initium |date=1 October 2024 |language=zh-hans}}</ref><ref name = "GFWdeleted2">{{cite web |title=网络数据安全管理条例 |url=https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202409/content_6977766.htm |website=Government of the People's Republic of China |access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref>