Tech: China moves to block VPN access, a service used by millions including Africans to connect to social media

China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access and a block on VPNs will interrupt fair access to many global services.

The Chinese government is taking step to further tighten the internet restrictions in the Asian country.

Media reports say the government has given a deadline of February 2018 to telecommunications carriers in the country to block access to virtual private networks (VPN).

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The new directive will block global access to free internet in the country.

If Chinese state-run telecommunications firms, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, abide by the new directive, they will bar people from using VPNs.

In accordance with Chinese President Xi Jinping's “cyber sovereignty” campaign, China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access, which is severely regulated active by government employees.

According to President Jinping, his tightly policed internet regime will preserve a social stability in the country.

Currently, millions of people, including many Africans, use VPN technology to circumvent China's censorship system, known as the Great Firewall.

But the new order will create a total shutdown in access to websites likes, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

READ ALSO: Google parent company's website already blocked in China

Without a working VPN, services like the video chat apps, Skype and Viber, which is used widely by Africans, do not work as efficiently as expected.

China has one of the world’s most restrictive internet access and a block on VPNs will interrupt fair access to many global services. Read Full Story