People in China Are Getting News to the Rest of the World with Proxies

The recent Covid-19 outbreak has taught us a lot about the Communist government in China and how they tightly control the flow of information. The outbreak originated in Wuhan and was said to have been detected as far back as September 2019, but it wasn’t clearly communicated to the world until the beginning of 2020.

People in China are defying the Chinese government’s media blockade to spread the news about how the government is handling the crisis. They are using a residential proxy provider such as the one found here to get around the firewall blocking traffic to and from China. It is now becoming apparent that proxies play a vital role in this process.

The Great Wall

China has a massive firewall that the government calls the Great Wall, used primarily to monitor internet traffic and to block anyone posting on international websites and social media platforms like Facebook. This allowed the government to control the narrative from the moment the Coronavirus outbreak was first reported.

Proxies are putting holes on that Great Wall. By using proxies designed to mask IP addresses, people in China were able to post on internet platforms and social media sites, and that led to more information about the outbreak and the government’s handling of the Coronavirus being made public to the rest of the world.

Proxies work the other way too. Those living outside of China can use China residential proxies from reliable providers to access websites like Weibo. Translation services were needed, but news outlets and experts could see what people posted on the Chinese social media site about Coronavirus and then repost those details for the rest of the world to read.

It is easy to see how proxies are crucial in all of this. By bypassing government restrictions, the flow of information can be completely democratized, even in countries with such strict restrictions as China.

A Shift in Paradigm

The way governments use the flow of information to control narratives is also expanding. China is not the only one restricting access to information. North Korea is also doing a similar thing, but this time by restricting access to the internet almost entirely. Only government propaganda networks are accessible to those living in North Korea.

Russia is doing the opposite. The Russian government is actively pushing misinformation to the rest of the world. The way Russia affected the 2016 US election was nothing short of spectacular in the eyes of information security experts. No one predicted that misinformation could have had such a powerful effect when done on a large scale.

China uses a similar strategy. When news of the pandemic broke, China was among the parties that downplayed the effects of Coronavirus. This, paired with how the Trump administration mishandled the pandemic, also affected how the rest of the world initially reacted to the outbreak. Fortunately, other countries quickly realized the true nature of the Covid-19 threat.

There is another extreme case of strict control of information in China worth mentioning: the disappearance of Jack Ma. Reports say Jack Ma’s criticism of the state was the reason for his sudden disappearance. Despite having close ties to the government, Ma often criticized the Communist government for the way they handled the Chinese economy.

A paradigm shift is happening. The availability of new technologies and services like proxies makes it possible for the Chinese people to have a bigger voice. Calls for more transparency and free speech are being heard across multiple regions in the country. The same is happening in Russia and other parts of the world as well.

Growing Pressure

Technology can have such a big impact on our society, and the case in China is a good example. Despite the government’s best efforts, the Chinese people are still making themselves heard, not just by the international community but also locally. As mentioned before, calls for free speech are gaining momentum.

What we see right now is similar to the fall of the Soviet Union. In fact, we may be looking at a unique event. If this momentum continues to build after the mishandling of the Coronavirus outbreak, it is only a matter of time before a large-scale people’s movement begins in different parts of China. Once again, the internet will play an important role here.

Proxies and VPN services are also granting access to private communications channels like Signal and Telegram. The companies behind these messaging apps are reporting a spike in the number of users in the region. People still have to go to a lot of trouble to get Signal installed, but they are prepared to do it for a good cause.

Proxies are frequently used for bypassing content restrictions and remaining anonymous online, but watch this space, as the technology could be the foundation of the biggest social changes in the near future.