The government said that it would take measures to \u201cstrengthen network information security management\u201d and would embark on a \u201cnationwide Internet network access services clean-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the initial targets was reported as censorship-busting VPNs, which allow citizens to evade the so-called Great Firewall of China. Operating such a service without a corresponding telecommunications business license would constitute an offense, the government said.<\/p>\n
The news was met with hostility, with media and citizens alike bemoaning Chinese censorship. Then early July, a further report suggested that the government would go a step further by ordering ISPs to block VPNs altogether. This elicited an immediate response from local authorities, who quickly\u00a0denied the reports<\/a>, blaming \u201cforeign media\u201d for false reporting.<\/p>\n But it was clear something was amiss in China. Later that month, it was revealed that Apple had\u00a0banned VPN software<\/a>\u00a0and services from its app store.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are writing to notify you that your application will be removed from the China App Store because it includes content that is illegal in China, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines,\u201d Apple informed developers.<\/p>\n With an effort clearly underway to target VPNs, news today from China suggests that the government is indeed determined to tackle the anti-censorship threat presented by such tools. According to local media, Chinese man Deng Mouwei who ran a small website through which he sold VPN software, has been sentenced to prison.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old, from the city of Dongguan in the Guangdong province, was first arrested in October 2016 after setting up a website to sell VPNs. Just two products were on offer but this was enough to spring authorities into action.<\/p>\n A\u00a0prosecution notice<\/a>, published by Chinese publication\u00a0Whatsonweibo<\/a>, reveals the university educated man was arrested \u201con suspicion of providing tools for illegal control of a computer information system.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s alleged that the man used several phrases to market the VPNs including \u201cVPN over the wall\u201d and \u201cShadow shuttle cloud\u201d. The business wasn\u2019t particularly profitable though, generating just 13957 yuan ($2,133) since October 2015.<\/p>\n \u201cThe court held that the defendant Deng Mouwei disregarded state law, by providing tools specifically for the invasion and illegal control of computer information systems procedures,\u201d the Guandong Province\u2019s First People\u2019s Court said in its ruling, handed down earlier this year but only just made public.<\/p>\n \u201cThe circumstances are serious and the behavior violated the \u2018Criminal Law of the People\u2019s Republic of China Article 285.\u201d<\/p>\n Under Chinese law, Article 172 references stolen goods, noting that people who \u201cconceal or act as distributors\u201d shall be sentenced to not more than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, or fined, depending on circumstances. Where VPNs fit into that isn\u2019t clear, but things didn\u2019t end well for the defendant.<\/p>\n For offering tools that enable people to \u201cvisit foreign websites that can not be accessed via a domestic (mainland) IP address,\u201d Deng Mouwei received a nine-month prison sentence.<\/p>\n News of the sentencing appeared on Chinese social media over the weekend, prompting fear and confusion among local users. While many struggled to see the sense of the prosecution, some expressed fear that people who even use VPN software to evade China\u2019s Great Firewall could be subjected to prosecution in the future.<\/p>\n Whatever the outcome, it\u2019s now abundantly clear that China is the midst of a VPN crackdown across the board and is serious about stamping out efforts to bypass its censorship. With the Internet\u2019s ability to treat censorship as damage and route round it, it\u2019s a battle that won\u2019t be easily won.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/torrentfreak.com\/images\/article-285.png\")
<\/a><\/center>\u201cThe facts of the crime are clear, the evidence is true and sufficient. In accordance with the provisions of Article 172 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People\u2019s Republic of China, the defendant shall be sentenced according to law.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"TorrentFreak\"](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/torrentfreak.png\")
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