China’s strict internet censorship shows no sign of easing after a man was jailed for selling VPN services.
A recently released court decision states that 26-year-old Deng Jiewei from Dongguan received a nine-month prison sentence for offering two VPN services on his website. Authorities say he earned nearly 14,000 yuan before being detained by police last August.
Although the sentence was handed down in March, the court documents only circulated on Chinese social media recently, reigniting concern about enforcement against tools that bypass the Great Firewall.
Renewed focus on internet control
The case has unsettled many Chinese internet users who rely on VPNs to access blocked sites and services. During occasional visits to China, some foreign visitors have perceived informal tolerance toward personal VPN use, but this conviction suggests a tougher posture toward anyone involved in distributing or monetizing such tools.
One widely shared comment on Weibo, cited by the South China Morning Post, captured that anxiety: “If selling a VPN results in a conviction for ‘providing software and tools for invading and illegally controlling the computer information system,’ then everyone here who uses a VPN to evade the Great Firewall could also be guilty of illegally invading or controlling computer systems, right?”
Recent regulatory moves point to a broader clampdown. Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced stricter enforcement against unauthorized VPNs used for cross-border business. Some municipal governments have also set penalties for profiting from VPN services — Chongqing’s rules, for example, mention fines up to 15,000 yuan for those involved in running unauthorised VPN operations.
At the same time, other restrictions targeting online activity have continued to appear. Reports earlier this week noted additional measures related to digital finance and fundraising, illustrating a pattern in which authorities are tightening control over various parts of the internet ecosystem, especially services that circumvent domestic controls or operate outside official channels.
For visitors from Western countries, where internet access is comparatively open, traveling to China can highlight how different the online experience is. Many widely used platforms, such as Google and its services, are blocked, and common Western expectations about ubiquitous access don’t apply.
This conviction is a reminder that China’s legal system treats the provision of certain network tools as a serious offense when authorities deem them to undermine network management and control. The ruling will likely prompt individuals and businesses that depend on VPNs to reassess risks and compliance options.
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