Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Man in China Sentenced To Five Years' Jail For Running VPN (theguardian.com)

Posted by msmash on from the tough-luck dept.

A Chinese entrepreneur has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for selling VPN service, a government newspaper said, as Beijing tries to stamp out use of technology that evades its internet filters. From a report: Wu Xiangyang was also fined 500,000 yuan ($75,900), an amount equal to his profits since starting the service in 2013, according to a report in the newspaper of China's national prosecutor's office. The Great Firewall, as the censorship apparatus is commonly known, means people in China are banned from visiting thousands of websites, including Google, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Wu ran his VPN service from 2013 until June this year and claimed to serve 8,000 foreign clients and 5,000 businesses.

22 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. I try not to buy anything made in China by myid · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

    1. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by diesalesmandie · · Score: 1

      I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

      May I ask why? Serious question

      --
      This is my sig, there are many like it but this one is mine
    2. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Stolovaya · · Score: 2

      I would imagine because of labor conditions (Foxconn and their suicide nets comes to mind first). Unfortunately, it seems most technology companies use China for manufacturing, so it seems hard to buy non-Made in China technology.

    3. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      The guy in China who broke the law contacted me via VPN to tell you that, due to your efforts, he will be out of jail in 5.5 years, and "thanks."

      Oh, and to please start a gofundme page for him.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    4. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      LG and Samsung are Korean. There are choices. All iPhones are Chinese made.

    5. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Stolovaya · · Score: 1

      Good point about LG and Samsung.

    6. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

      I'm not too concerned about buying things made in China but the lack of free speech is one of the key reasons I would be reluctant to go live there. For all its flaws, one thing I really like about living in the USA really is being able to criticize the government and download porn without worrying about going to jail.

    7. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by myid · · Score: 2

      I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

      May I ask why? Serious question

      I don't want to help China's economy. I don't want to support the economy of countries that have repressive governments.

    8. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Desler · · Score: 1

      LG and Samsung both manufacture things in China.

    9. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by someone1234 · · Score: 1

      I thought they manufacture in North Korea :D

      --
      Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
    10. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by antdude · · Score: 1

      What tech stuff is not sold in China these days? :P

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    11. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by AHuxley · · Score: 3

      Re "May I ask why? Serious question"
      Who really wants to help fund a totalitarian Communist regime?

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    12. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by Jahta · · Score: 1

      I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

      The sad reality is that globalisation has made this really difficult to do. Even if it doesn't say "made in China" on the box, the odds are that at least some of the component parts come from there.

    13. Re:I try not to buy anything made in China by myid · · Score: 1

      I try not to buy anything made in China, even if it costs more to buy things made elsewhere.

      The sad reality is that globalisation has made this really difficult to do. Even if it doesn't say "made in China" on the box, the odds are that at least some of the component parts come from there.

      You're right about most electronics being assembled in China. And good point about where the components were made.

      Raspberry Pis are "made in a Sony factory in Pencoed, Wales." And some computers, like the Mac Pro, are assembled in the US.

      There are also some non-computer items assembled in the US:

      - Speed Queen clothes washers and dryers.

      - Some Amana dryers.

      - Austin Air air filters.

      - Some brands of cars.

      - Not many clothes are made in the US. But a lot are made in countries whose governments are not repressive. I don't mind buying clothes made in those countries.

      - Also see http://www.usalovelist.com/ame....

  2. How long before it comes to the US. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I ask this because I see frogs in bucket of water on a stove. We already have (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_Information_Sharing_Act) this which theoretically undoes the onion router when combined with the repeal of network neutrality.

    1. Re:How long before it comes to the US. by SlaveToTheGrind · · Score: 2

      We already have (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_Information_Sharing_Act) this which theoretically undoes the onion router when combined with the repeal of network neutrality.

      Um, yeah. Remember, kids -- just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. Or something like that.

  3. Re:Oh China by ZorinLynx · · Score: 1

    What good is that going to do? It hasn't done any good the previous several dozen times we've tried it.

  4. Let's not forget... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    that under China's new draconian social ranking system, he's likely a no one once he emerges from prison.

    Inside China's Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking

  5. Nipplegate: US shocked by a female body part! by Mojo66 · · Score: 1
    Tolerance: all cultures are different

    Intolerance: my culture is always the right one.

  6. Small wonder by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    He should have used a VPN to run that thing.

  7. So much for Net Neutrality by AlanObject · · Score: 2

    Prohibition against VPNs is by no means restricted to China. In most of the Middle East you can be thrown in jail for using a VPN.

    They don't want people to bypass their firewall blocks for services like Skype that would undermine revenues for their Telco carriers. Which, usually, is owned by a close relative of the country's leader.

  8. Thats not my experience with the Chinese. by wolfheart111 · · Score: 1

    Its quite odd. Im sitting here on a poplular video chat app with dozens of Chinese folks.... I do this every night, just lounge around with them, chat and dance together... drink together. :) Pajamas.... From the comments I feel most of you have completely the wrong idea about what life is like there. I also feel theres more to this story than meets the eye... Man you should see some of their homes... everything is silk and gold... just beautiful.

    --
    [($)]