Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN

Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by tw1984 on Friday October 06, 2023 @03:47AM (#37788172)

That is not true. You are only allowed to setup businesses that are considered as in non-key sectors. Try setting a private gas station, or an ISP. Good lucky for that. The most recent example is the private tutor business, setting a private tutor business helping kids to do better in their maths exams can get you into big big trouble with the state.

We are talking about an economy that didn't allow people to freely trade salt less than 10 years ago.

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Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by throwaway4good on Friday October 06, 2023 @04:29AM (#37788351)

Around here setting up a sausage stand is tightly regulated.

Granted. I don't know of any remotely reasonable (non-politicized) comparable study of economic freedom in China; my assessment is from talking to people (expats, entrepreneurs etc.) and just looking at what was going on.

I remember sitting at a restaurant in a small village and watching a local drone company doing testing on the parking lot. 4 engineers and a drone the size of a small car.

Just no way that would be allowed in anywhere in Europe.

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Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by FredPret on Friday October 06, 2023 @04:33AM (#37788369)

Europe isn't a bastion of economic freedom - a previous commenter described an absolutely egregious amount of government overreach pertaining taxes.

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Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by tw1984 on Friday October 06, 2023 @04:57AM (#37788469)

> Around here setting up a sausage stand is tightly regulated.

Around here, setting up a sausage stand requires special approval from the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China. That is the exact special & emergency arrangement they put forward during COVID - people were allowed to setup such stands in selected areas during weekends to boost economy during COVID.

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Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by angra_mainyu on Friday October 06, 2023 @11:21AM (#37791988)

What about before COVID?

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Re:Chinese Netizen Fined over 1M Yuan for Using VPN by tw1984 on Saturday October 07, 2023 @04:10AM (#37799964)

There is a dedicated government department tasked for cracking down all those street vendors/stands, it called the urban management department. It is the department that has the lowest public approval rating in China with its staff regularly engage in brutal violence against those trying to setup a stand on the streets to make a living.

Their (stupid) logic is simple - such stands / street food vendors degrade the overall investment potentials, as no one wants their multi billion investment project to be surrounded by thousands of street food vendors.

welcome to state capitalism.

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