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Hongkongers rush to download VPN tools amid fears of Beijing upping surveillance with national security law
- After China announced it would pass a new national security law for Hong Kong, NordVPN received 120 times more inquiries about its service than the day before
- News of the law has sparked fears among some netizens of increased surveillance and censorship from Beijing
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Downloads of virtual private network (VPN) software and apps have surged after China’s central government announced that it would pass a new national security law tailor-made for Hong Kong, sparking fears among some netizens of increased surveillance and censorship from Beijing.
Hours after news of the new law broke on Thursday, leading provider NordVPN said it received 120 times more inquiries about its service than the day before and the number was “growing every hour”.
This was “one of the biggest spikes [in demand for VPNs] we've ever observed”, NordVPN’s head of public relations Laura Tyrell said in a statement.
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Such spikes are common in response to government policies implying an increase in online surveillance or restrictions, such as when the UK expanded electronic surveillance in 2016 and when the US repealed net neutrality rules in 2018, she said, adding that the company observed similar spikes in Hong Kong last year during the anti-extradition protests.
“A VPN provides privacy and security online and in such cases is the only tool that helps to avoid surveillance and access the internet without restrictions,” the NordVPN spokeswoman said.
A Beijing source told the Post on Thursday the planned new law would ban all seditious activities aimed at toppling the central government, as well as external interference in Hong Kong. It would also target terrorist acts in the city.
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