What happens if you get caught using a VPN in China?

Chinese citizens found creating or selling unapproved VPNs have received fines and prison sentences anywhere from three days to more than five years, but these are applied inconsistently.

Can you go to jail for using a VPN in China?

The punishment regarding VPN usage falls for companies that do not use government-approved VPNs or companies that don't have relevant approvals from the state to use VPNs. Chinese citizens in the VPN business can also face fines or jail time if they don't have government clearance.

Can tourists use VPN in China?

Yes, using a VPN is still legal in China. Despite many VPNs being blocked in China there is no official ban on using VPNs.

What happens if you are caught using a VPN?

Police can't track live, encrypted VPN traffic, but if they have a court order, they can go to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) and request connection or usage logs. Since your ISP knows you're using a VPN, they can direct the police to them.

Can I get in legal trouble for using a VPN?

If you're in the U.S., VPNs are legal, so no, you can't get into trouble for using them. However, if you're in a country that bans VPNs, like China, then yes, you can get into trouble for using them.

Is a VPN Illegal in China? 🤔

Why are VPNs allowed in China?

Since the Great Firewall of China prevents users from accessing certain websites outside of China, using a VPN is one of the means to browse the Internet otherwise inaccessible to Chinese netizens, popularly known as "getting over the wall." Highly secure VPNs can provide access to blocked content while at the same ...

Is Google blocked in China?

Google has had a fraught relationship with the Chinese market. The U.S. technology giant pulled its search engine from China in 2010 because of strict government censorship online. Its other services — such as Google Maps and Gmail — are also effectively blocked by the Chinese government.

When did China make VPN illegal?

The implementation and unlicensed use of VPNs to bypass local censorship has been prohibited in China since at least 2002. Nonetheless, for many years, individual users, private companies, and even tourist-friendly hotel chains were permitted to use them with little consequence.

What countries do not allow VPN?

Currently, a handful of governments either regulate or outright ban VPNs. Those currently include Belarus, China, Iraq, North Korea, Oman, Russia, and the U.A.E., to name a few. Still others impose internet censorship laws, which makes using a VPN risky.

Which country is not allowed to use VPN?

Where are VPNs illegal? VPNs are illegal in North Korea, Belarus, Oman, Iraq, and Turkmenistan. In some other countries, including China, Russia, Türkiye, UAE, India, Iran, Egypt, and Uganda, only government-approved VPNs are legal, but these might allow the authorities to monitor users.

Can you bypass a ban with a VPN?

One of the most logical things to do when the IP address that you are operating with has been banned is to opt for a VPN. Bright VPN, is one of the best free premium VPNs currently available on the market. VPNs are useful in that they change your IP address so that your activity is not restricted.

Can I be traced if I use VPN?

Can I be tracked if I use a VPN? No, your web traffic and IP can't be tracked anymore. However, if you use a poor quality VPN, you could still be tracked.

Does China block VPNs?

Long story short, VPNs are blocked in China, but there are ways to get around it. If you are traveling to China, purchasing a VPN that is known to work in China before arriving in probably the best solution. Also, it is common that the Chinese government blocks VPN technology instead of going after VPN users.

Is it legal to use Google in China?

Google Search is partially blocked in China. Requests from the mainland to Google Search, including Google.com and Google.cn, are automatically redirected to Google.com.hk, the company's Hong Kong servers. Depending on what you search for on the Hong Kong version, the results may or may not be censored while in China.

Why you shouldn't use a free VPN?

Free VPNs use poor encryption technology, and websites with strong security protocols will block access when it detects such methods. Only a few premium VPNs can unblock Netflix content, and when they do, it is always difficult to sustain the connection for a full movie show.

Does Amazon ban VPN?

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video reserve the right to close your account if you're found to be using a VPN. That's because the usage of VPNs goes against their Terms of Service. However, it's highly unlikely you'll be banned for using a VPN — remember that VPNs are perfectly legal to use.

Is YouTube allowed in China?

Countries where access to YouTube is currently blocked

Since then, YouTube has been inaccessible from Mainland China. However, YouTube can still be accessed from Hong Kong, Macau, the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, specific hotels, and by using a VPN.

Is Amazon blocked in China?

The reason Amazon services are difficult to use in China is because Amazon geo-restricts its content. This means that even if you're a paying Amazon Prime member, you can't easily watch Prime Video in China or listen to Prime Music in China. Thankfully, there is a way to get around these geo-restrictions.

Is Instagram allowed in China?

Is Instagram blocked in China? Yes, Instagram is blocked in China. It was blocked intermittently starting in 2014 and now it is completely censored. Attempting to access the app from within mainland China will result in an error message saying the feed cannot be refreshed.

What do Chinese use instead of Google?

Baidu is China's largest and most widely used search engine, much like Google in the U.S.

Can I use NordVPN in China?

iOS users can still use the service in China by manually setting up an IKEv2 connection but the easiest way to get connected on Windows, Linux, MacOS, and Android is to use an obfuscated server. To enable these, open your NordVPN app and click the Settings option in the top-left.

How are VPN detected?

Websites and apps detect virtual private network use by blacklisting IP addresses that many different people around the world use to connect. This kind of IP looks suspicious to a service provider; thus, it gets blocked.

How long do IP bans last?

How long do IP bans usually last? A temporary IP ban can last anywhere between 7 and 30 days, while account bans are generally permanent.