CensorshipInChina
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China might not block personal VPNs after all
With China making "unapproved" virtual private networks illegal at the start of the year, we previously reported that the nation planned to completely block public access to VPNs by February 1st. Now, just a few days later, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a statement that appears to debunk the claims. The minister states that VPNs with "permissions" such as domestic and international companies won't be affected. The Ministry then goes onto say that "the majority of users" will also be safe, stating that it will only crack down on "unapproved" VPNs. Predictably, the statement doesn't clarify exactly how users go about getting said approval.
Apple pulls another app in China selling 'forbidden content'
The Financial Times is reporting that Apple has pulled the "jingdian shucheng" app from the Chinese App Store since the app provided access to three books by banned author Wang Lixiong. The free app is still available in all other App Stores. Wang told the Financial Times that he believed the decision to remove the app was for "political reasons." This isn't the first time that Apple has yanked an app that has the potential to upset the ruling Communist Party in China. As far back as 2009, TUAW reported on how Apple had removed apps that referred to the exiled Dalai Lama. A number of blogs and newspapers are looking at this action as somehow being tied to Apple's recent public apology about its warranty policies in China, but it's just another in a long string of apps that have been censored by Apple as part of doing business in the country.
Beijing's rolling out city wide 'free' public WiFi, just hand over your phone number
Heads-up, locals: China's Mobile, Unicom and Telecom carriers are building a city-wide public WiFi network across Beijing. Residents will enjoy free 2Mbps internet for up to three years, if they sign up to the "My Beijing" service. Like most things that are gratis, there's a catch: you have to submit your phone number in exchange for access. Privacy enthusiasts aren't thrilled at the idea, (you know, since it's backed by the Government), though a representative said that the numbers would only be used for "identity authentication" -- insinuating that they would only be tracing individuals whose online activity might "endanger social security." High-minded privacy concerns aside, there's the very real danger of phones being bombarded with spam, not to mention what happens when the three year trial period expires -- users of the service could get stung with exorbitant costs to feed a public WiFi addiction.
