Man in China Sentenced To Five Years' Jail For Running VPN (theguardian.com) 42
A Chinese entrepreneur has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for selling VPN service, a government newspaper said, as Beijing tries to stamp out use of technology that evades its internet filters. From a report: Wu Xiangyang was also fined 500,000 yuan ($75,900), an amount equal to his profits since starting the service in 2013, according to a report in the newspaper of China's national prosecutor's office. The Great Firewall, as the censorship apparatus is commonly known, means people in China are banned from visiting thousands of websites, including Google, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Wu ran his VPN service from 2013 until June this year and claimed to serve 8,000 foreign clients and 5,000 businesses.
Re: (Score:2)
What good is that going to do? It hasn't done any good the previous several dozen times we've tried it.
I try not to buy anything made in China (Score:4, Insightful)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
Re: (Score:2)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
May I ask why? Serious question
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
LG and Samsung are Korean. There are choices. All iPhones are Chinese made.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
LG and Samsung both manufacture things in China.
Re: (Score:2)
I thought they manufacture in North Korea :D
Re: (Score:3)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
May I ask why? Serious question
I don't want to help China's economy. I don't want to support the economy of countries that have repressive governments.
Re:I try not to buy anything made in China (Score:4)
Who really wants to help fund a totalitarian Communist regime?
Re: (Score:2)
The guy in China who broke the law contacted me via VPN to tell you that, due to your efforts, he will be out of jail in 5.5 years, and "thanks."
Oh, and to please start a gofundme page for him.
Re: (Score:1)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
I'm not too concerned about buying things made in China but the lack of free speech is one of the key reasons I would be reluctant to go live there. For all its flaws, one thing I really like about living in the USA really is being able to criticize the government and download porn without worrying about going to jail.
Re: (Score:2)
What tech stuff is not sold in China these days? :P
Re: (Score:2)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
The sad reality is that globalisation has made this really difficult to do. Even if it doesn't say "made in China" on the box, the odds are that at least some of the component parts come from there.
Re: (Score:2)
I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.
The sad reality is that globalisation has made this really difficult to do. Even if it doesn't say "made in China" on the box, the odds are that at least some of the component parts come from there.
You're right about most electronics being assembled in China. And good point about where the components were made.
Raspberry Pis are "made [wikipedia.org] in a Sony factory in Pencoed, Wales." And some computers, like the Mac Pro, are assembled in the US.
There are also some non-computer items assembled in the US:
- Speed Queen clothes washers and dryers.
- Some Amana dryers.
- Austin Air air filters.
- Some brands of cars.
- Not many clothes are made in the US. But a lot are made in countries whose governments are not repressive
How long before it comes to the US. (Score:1)
I ask this because I see frogs in bucket of water on a stove. We already have (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_Information_Sharing_Act) this which theoretically undoes the onion router when combined with the repeal of network neutrality.
Re: (Score:3)
We already have (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_Information_Sharing_Act) this which theoretically undoes the onion router when combined with the repeal of network neutrality.
Um, yeah. Remember, kids -- just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Or something like that.
Let's not forget... (Score:1)
that under China's new draconian social ranking system, he's likely a no one once he emerges from prison.
Inside China's Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking [wired.com]
Nipplegate: US shocked by a female body part! (Score:2)
Intolerance: my culture is always the right one.
Small wonder (Score:2)
He should have used a VPN to run that thing.
So much for Net Neutrality (Score:3)
Prohibition against VPNs is by no means restricted to China. In most of the Middle East you can be thrown in jail for using a VPN.
They don't want people to bypass their firewall blocks for services like Skype that would undermine revenues for their Telco carriers. Which, usually, is owned by a close relative of the country's leader.
Thats not my experience with the Chinese. (Score:1)