Virtual private networks (VPN) are banned in China beyond those officially approved (and therefore heavily monitored) by the government. And yet, China sits in the top 10 of markets that use them. So it should come as no surprise that the Chinese government is clamping down harder on VPN use by introducing fines.
As The Inquirer reports, any individual caught using an unauthorized VPN service will now be fined $145. Depending on where you are in China and what your job is, that could be a large chunk of your monthly income gone, and therefore will make some think twice about taking the risk.
China introduced a public security law back in 1997 making it illegal to access the "foreign internet" without first seeking permission from the government. Since then, VPN services have appeared and allowed much easier access to sites and online services outside of China's oversight.
The government responded in recent years by targeting the VPN providers and either shutting them down or blocking their access. Now it seems the focus is turning to users as existing measures simply aren't working well enough. Data collected back in September last year revealed that 31 percent of internet users in China regularly use a VPN, placing China fourth in the top 10 list behind Indonesia, India, and Turkey.
How effective the fines are will come down to how well the detection system works. If the government has a system that automates the process of detection and identifying the individual, then it could kill off VPN use within China while collecting a lot of money in the process.
It seems more likely VPN services will react to the threat by implementing new measures to protect users. This will always be a cat and mouse game, and it's why we can't easily choose the best VPN for China.