[wwwwwwwww]

> Also very relevant that VPNs seem to be illegal in China.

How illegal are they currently? When I lived there, they were illegal too, but still everybody would use them. There was always a difference between "illegal by law" and "really illegal".

[jacobush]

The judiciary is not independent, so it's a moot point anyways. VPN use will just be used as another signal that you are possibly an enemy of the state.

[stjohnswarts]

Probably only as a means to get you in to charge you for other things, kind of like using "click it or ticket" used by cops to pull you over because you "look suspicious" and they're bored and want to do a full car search because "they smelled something".

[BlueTemplar]

I don't know, but the article literally states :

> while China does have data privacy laws, there are broad exceptions when authorities investigate criminal acts, which can include undermining communist values, “picking quarrels” online, or even using a virtual private network to browse the Internet privately.