To VPN or not to VPN - the case for, as Gmail's blocked in China - again

29 Dec 2014

NEWSWATCH: What do people do when you block their access to a service online? They find a loophole, of course. That's what's happening in China, where Reuters reports much of Google's services have been blocked - and not for the first time...

To VPN or not to VPN - the case for, as Gmail's blocked in China - again

That global purveyor of news, Reuters, reports that Gmail is currently blocked in China. This has quickly been snapped up and is causing a stir on Twitter.

But it's not Google's fault that much of mainland China can't access their emails online - Time explains that the search engine operator says there's 'nothing wrong from our end' - this is allegedly the latest move from China's ruling communist party, hoping to isolate businesses on the mainland from the rest of the world.

GreatFire adds that this has been ongoing for many years now. At the time of writing, access to Gmail was 57% blocked in China.

The initial cut off reportedly started on Friday and has lasted all weekend. Whatever will they do without their email notifications? Find a loophole, of course. Many companies reliant on the internet to operate acted fast and set up a VPN or Virtual Private Network to work around this latest block, Reuters clarifies.