These apps put users behind China’s internet firewall, even as millions of Chinese want to get out

Just like the mainlanders trying to get around Beijing’s censorship to access banned overseas websites, many Chinese living abroad are desperate to get back behind the Great Firewall so they qualify for free content only available to mainland residents.

The plethora of shows available on the mainland is partly due to cash-rich Chinese platforms investing heavily in video and music that is offered free of charge to locals to boost their user base.

However, because this content has been licensed from the copyright owners for distribution within China only, the apps detect the location of the user, notifying those outside China that they cannot access the programmes due to copyright restrictions.

However, a number of developers saw a business opportunity and have launched apps to help overseas users obtain a mainland IP address, using similar technology that VPN apps adopt to help mainland residents obtain a foreign IP to get around the Great Firewall.

Transocks, developed by Chengdu Fobwifi Networks Technology, is one such app. It offers a free “get back to China” service to users but they are required to watch the ads. Alternatively, they can pay between 6 yuan and 98 yuan to enjoy ad-free connections for seven days or up to 180 days, according to the app.

N2ping is a similar app developed by Zhengzhou Lonlife Technology. It offers a 24-hour free trial and charges as much as 899 yuan for premium annual membership, which provides a 10 Mbps connection which even allows overseas users to connect to local Chinese game servers with uninterrupted play.