Ask HN: What do you think about GFW?

7 points JOHN-DAN | 4 comments | 30 Aug 25 08:27 UTC | HN request time: 0.631s | source

The Great Firewall of China (GFW) is China's internet censorship and surveillance system that blocks access to many foreign websites and services. Given its significant impact on internet freedom and global connectivity, I'm curious about the HN community's perspectives on this topic.
1. lick1123 ◴[30 Aug 25 08:49 UTC] No.45073049[source]▶
Just as I clicked into this article, my VPN node failed, so I was just hit by its block. Although it is often a wall that hinders free communication, it does have a positive effect in some cases, at least preventing some low-quality information pollution and attack fraud. It is not a problem for people who really need to access the external network
replies(1): >>45073078 #
2. JOHN-DAN ◴[30 Aug 25 08:53 UTC] No.45073078[source]▶
I traveled to China last year but never experienced being 'hit by its block.' Are you certain the blocking you experienced was due to the GFW and not issues with your VPN server?
3. yogorenapan ◴[30 Aug 25 15:04 UTC] No.45075271[source]▶
The scale is impressive, but easy to bypass by those who know how. While it's technically impressive, I'm not too worried about it. I find UK and US laws on age verification much more concerning as they have the power to directly compel websites to self censor or demand the identities of visitors, which in the worst case scenario, could become a worldwide requirement.