VPNs may not be blocked by next year after all

Annnnnd breathe!

After the frankly horrifying story broke earlier this week that a personal VPN ban would be enforced in China by February next year, some very welcome news has emerged - it doesn't look like it's going to happen after all.

A report from Bloombery Technology claimed the Government had asked state-run telecoms firms to block individual users from accessing VPNs by 1 February 2018. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has since dismissed these claims and quashed any rumours of an impending VPN ban. If you listen closely, you can hear Instagrammers up and down the country letting out a collective sigh of relief.

However, we may not be out of the woods just yet, as Global Voices reported recently that from the start of this month, VPN apps would be removed from Apple and Android's respective app stores. Contrary to the reports, the apps are still available.

While the mass panic from a few days ago wasn't quite 'Fake news', it looks like your VPNs are safe and sound for the time being. Post those Facebook statuses while you can...

Hit 'Read more' to read the original story and find out why everyone panicked.

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