The top cyberspace authority in China has recently drafted new regulations that would punish individuals and firms that use or offer VPN services. In other words, the government will be cracking down harder on those that try to scale the “Great Firewall.”
According to an SCMP report, the latest move from the government is an attempt to further boost its control over the internet. This would likely also serve as a warning to many internet based services/businesses. The newly drafted regulations were proposed last weekend might still be changed after public consultation. Although, it marks one of the strictest attempt at punishing virtual private network (VPN) services. For those unaware, a VPN service basically helps users avoid the Chinese firewall by redirecting its traffic through a remote server.
Meaning, this lets people bypass the firewall and access content online, which otherwise would be restricted. The new rules titled “Network Data Security Management Regulations” was proposed by the Cyberspace Administration of China and it states that no individual or organization will offer “programs, tools, routes” or other services like internet access, server hosting, technical support, promotion, and more for “penetrating and bypassing the cross-border data security gateway.”
Violating this regulation will have you face up to 10 times the amount of money made from the offence, or up to 500,000 Yuan (roughly 78,500 US Dollars) if you’re in a management position. Additionally, the organization that offers VPN services might even have their business license revoked as well. This draft could even be used to potentially target firms that are based overseas and are operating in China.
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