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Censorship Monitor · China Last test

What’s blocked in China right now

China’s Great Firewall blocks thousands of foreign sites and apps, from Google, YouTube and WhatsApp to Wikipedia and many foreign news outlets, while Chinese platforms must censor their own users’ posts.

Every day we open 67 of the world’s biggest sites and apps from home internet connections in China, and record what’s blocked, since when and how.

52 of 67 testedsites and apps with a confirmed block in China

67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.

Tests are requested on China Unicom and China Mobile home connections. 3 more sites turn visitors from China away themselves.

China: 52 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.India: 2 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Indonesia: 2 confirmed blocks. 66 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours. 1 older result awaiting a fresh test.Malaysia: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Pakistan: 5 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.South Korea: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Thailand: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Vietnam: 6 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Egypt: 6 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Iran: 32 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Saudi Arabia: 5 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Turkey: 6 confirmed blocks. 64 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours. 3 older results awaiting a fresh test.UAE: 9 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Belarus: 10 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.France: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Germany: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Italy: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Netherlands: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Russia: 31 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Spain: 1 confirmed block. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.UK: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Australia: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.Brazil: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.US: 0 confirmed blocks. 67 of 67 results confirmed in the last 48 hours.
Test any website now › All 24 countries

Blocked 52

Every network we test in China fails to open these, twice, while they open elsewhere. Most often, the connection never completes.

  • Al JazeeraNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Amnesty InternationalRights & petitions

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • BBCNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • BlueskySocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection is cut on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Change.orgRights & petitions

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • ChatGPTAI chatbots

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • CopilotAI chatbots

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection is cut on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • DiscordMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • DropboxSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • DuckDuckGoSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • DWNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • ExpressVPNVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • FacebookSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • GeminiAI chatbots

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • GmailSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Google SearchSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • GrindrSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • GrokAI chatbots

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Human Rights WatchRights & petitions

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • ImgurSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • InstagramSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Internet ArchiveSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection is refused on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • LINEMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • MediumSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection is refused on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • MessengerMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • MullvadVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • NordVPNVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • PerplexityAI chatbots

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • PinterestSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Proton MailVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Proton VPNVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • PsiphonVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Radio Free EuropeNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • RedditSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • SignalMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • SnapchatSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • SoundCloudVideo & music

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • SurfsharkVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection is refused on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • TelegramMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • The GuardianNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • The New York TimesNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • ThreadsSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • TikTokSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection is cut on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Tor ProjectVPNs & privacy tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • TumblrSocial media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection is refused on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • TwitchVideo & music

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • ViberMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • VimeoVideo & music

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • WhatsAppMessaging & calls

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • WikipediaSearch & web tools

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • X (Twitter)Social media

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection stalls once it opens on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • YouTubeVideo & music

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The connection never completes on China Unicom and China Mobile.

Turned away by the site 3

These sites turn visitors from China away themselves: they answer “forbidden” (HTTP 403) or send them to a “not available here” page. That’s the site’s choice, not a block by China.

  • ClaudeAI chatbots

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The site sends visitors to a “not available here” page on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • Mada MasrNews

    First observed on 30 Sep 2026

    The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on China Unicom and China Mobile.

  • NetflixVideo & music

    First observed on 29 Sep 2026

    The site answers “forbidden” (HTTP 403) on China Unicom and China Mobile.

Opens 12

Background

Internet censorship in China

Online censorship is directed by the Communist Party’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, headed by Xi Jinping, and the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which answers to it and is the main agency enforcing the 2017 Cybersecurity Law; the Party’s propaganda department tells news sites and platforms what to restrict. All traffic to and from abroad crosses international gateways run by state-owned carriers and overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and that control of the gateways is the foundation of the Great Firewall.

The filtering targets traffic crossing the border. Censorship equipment answers lookups for banned sites with false addresses, drops traffic to blocked IP addresses, reads the site name that encrypted connections still reveal and resets connections carrying banned keywords, while traffic coming into China is slowed. VPN blocking tends to intensify before sensitive events such as the annual legislative sessions, and apps disappear from app stores: in April 2024 the CAC ordered Apple to remove WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its China App Store.

China has blocked most international social networks and messengers, including Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal and Snapchat, as well as Google’s search engine and services such as Maps, Docs and Drive. It has also blocked many foreign news outlets, among them The New York Times, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC, and rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Chinese platforms such as WeChat and Weibo stay open but are legally required to censor.

Beijing tightened control further in 2025 and 2026. A state-run national online ID, under which people register for internet services with official identity documents, took effect in July 2025, and researchers found that Henan province had built its own website-blocking system on top of the national one. In April 2026 a new crackdown on VPN services began, with telecom carriers in parts of China reportedly told to comb their networks and block them.

Are VPNs legal in China?

China allows only VPNs approved by the government: the telecoms ministry banned unapproved VPN services in 2017, and rules from 1996 let the police warn people who use unauthorised international connections and fine them up to 15,000 yuan. Punishing ordinary users is rare but happens: in 2023 police in Hebei confiscated more than 1 million yuan a programmer had earned working for a foreign company over a VPN, and fined him 200 yuan.

Key dates

  1. A new crackdown on VPN services begins, and telecom carriers in parts of China are reportedly told to comb their networks and block them.
  2. A state-run national online ID takes effect, under which people register for internet services with official identity documents.
  3. The Cyberspace Administration of China orders Apple to remove WhatsApp, Threads, Telegram and Signal from its China App Store.
  4. China widens its block on Wikipedia from the Chinese-language edition to every language edition.
  5. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology rules that VPN services need government approval, starting a crackdown on unapproved ones.
  6. After ethnic violence in Urumqi, the authorities disrupt internet access across Xinjiang for 10 months.

Get past a block

Blocked in China?

A VPN connects you through a server in another country, so the blocks in China no longer apply. Where VPNs themselves are blocked, you need one that can disguise its traffic.

Only government-approved VPNs are legal in China, and most foreign VPNs are blocked.

NordVPN

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  • Obfuscated servers for networks that block VPNs
  • Connects you through a server in another country
  • Encrypts what your internet provider could otherwise see
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Surfshark

  • Camouflage Mode makes VPN traffic look like ordinary traffic
  • Unlimited devices on one plan
  • Apps for phones, computers and TVs
Get Surfshark ›

30-day money-back guarantee

Best VPNs for China › Where VPNs are legal ›

We earn a commission if you buy through these links. It never changes what the monitor shows. Our disclosure.

History

Changes in China

No confirmed changes since monitoring began on 29 Sep 2026. When a block appears or lifts, and a re-check on several machines agrees, it shows up here.

Method

How we test

  • Test machines on China Unicom and China Mobile home connections open each site’s homepage every day.
  • A failure counts only when it happens twice on the same network, while the site opens from other countries.
  • A change is published only after re-checks a few hours later and again the next day, on several machines per provider, confirm it. It’s dated from the first sighting.
  • Test machines caught getting around blocks, through a VPN or a filter-dodging tool, are set aside.
  • We test websites, mostly over home broadband. Apps, calls and mobile networks can behave differently.

Full method ›

Questions

Censorship in China: questions

What Is the Great Firewall of China?

It’s the informal name for China’s internet censorship system. Because the government controls the gateways that connect China to the global internet, it can filter all cross-border traffic and block foreign sites for the whole country. Freedom House calls it the world’s most sophisticated censorship apparatus, and the filtering also makes foreign sites that aren’t blocked load slowly.

Is Google Blocked in China?

Yes. Freedom House says Google’s search engine has been blocked since 2012, and Maps, Translate, Docs, Drive and Scholar are blocked too. Google had stopped censoring its Chinese search results in March 2010 and moved them to its Hong Kong site, after the government made clear that self-censorship was a non-negotiable legal requirement.

Is Wikipedia Blocked in China?

Yes. The Chinese-language edition has reportedly been blocked since May 2015, and from late April 2019 China blocked every language edition. OONI researchers found that the block worked in two ways: forged answers to lookups for Wikipedia addresses, and cut connections whenever an encrypted connection named a Wikipedia server.

Answers

Questions about China

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