Is Google Plus blocked in China?
Yes, Google Plus is blocked in China. Google’s social network, Google Plus (or Google+, if you prefer), may play a vast second fiddle to the more popular social networks around, but it’s still operates a source for the free exchange of ideas. For Chinese content blocking purposes, the lack of popularity for the site does not mean it’s not worth blocking. If you are trying to traveling to China or currently living in China, you’ll find you cannot access the service at all. As a general rule-of-thumb, it’s worth noting that most of Google’s services are also blocked in China, including YouTube and the uncensored version of Google’s titular search engine.
Tip: Most VPNs will not work inside of China, especially after the country’s most recent crackdown on such services. If you want to get access to Google Plus or other blocked websites, you’ll find a virtual private network that works available on our China VPNs list.
China has a longstanding policy of blocking Western websites that could be used to disseminate information freely. Because the Chinese government controls the flow of information on its internet fairly heavily, the inherently free exchange of ideas that comes with Western media sites are often perceived as a threat by Chinese authorities. As a result, information sites such as Western news organizations and Wikipedia. And while social media websites themselves don’t provide information that is critical of the Chinese government, they can be used to do so. China therefore blocks most Western social media sites, with but a very limited number of exceptions.
Some Western sites have capitulated in order to gain access to the Chinese market. But this usually just involves offering a heavily monitored and limited version of their own service in China.
If you want to access most non-Chinese news, information, or social media websites outside of China, you’ll need a virtual private network that bypasses the country’s Great Firewall.
How to access Google Plus in China
Due to its restrictive measures on the internet, the only way access Google Plus and most other Western social media websites in China is through the use of a VPN.
Most VPNs in China are actively blocked. The country’s internet monitors employ various technologies to root out VPN connections and either block them completely, or when they can’t, slow down the speeds of those connecting through a VPN to the extent that the service becomes effectively unusable.
To alleviate some concerns: VPN usage in China is not illegal. The country does, however, maintain strict policies in place that prevent users from accessing the internet while connected to most VPNs, and quite easily blocks VPN websites to prevent anyone currently located in the country from downloading them at all.
In order to successfully bypass the VPN blockade in China, you’ll likely need to download your VPN service before entering the country. That includes on any device you plan to use. Not just any VPN service will work either. The service you do choose needs to have the proper technology in place to hide VPN connections completely from the type of filters China has in place. Only a handful will do that.
Furthermore, no free VPN service will get you the service you need. Free VPNs may save you money, but they do not have the proper technology in place to obfuscate the connections and hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. Additionally, free VPNs prevent a significant security risk, as they often keep user logs and sell user data to third parties.
If you do plan to travel to China, you will need a fully-functional VPN service that protects your identity and utilizes the latest technology in both its software and hardware solutions. You can find a full list of VPNs that work in China on our regularly updated list of VPNs that bypass the Chinese Great Firewall.