Apple iOS 9 may make it easier for iPhone users in China to bypass internet censorship

An update to Apple's mobile operating system could make it easier for users in China to bypass internet filtering and censorship.

The latest version of the operating system for iPhones and iPads, iOS 9, includes a change to how app developers can implement virtual private network (VPN) protocols on Apple devices. The update was released to developers on Monday, and will become widely available later this year.

VPNs are the primary means by which internet users in China bypass the so-called Great Firewall (GFW), which blocks access to Twitter, Facebook, and the South China Morning Post among thousands of other websites.

At the beginning of this year, Beijing clamped down on VPN usage in mainland China, leading to complaints from many internet users and entrepreneurs and forcing VPN providers to find new ways of bypassing restrictions.

The primary means by which censors detect and block VPN traffic is by using deep packet inspection (DPI), which examines the data being sent across the network to see if it matches a certain profile, such as a VPN protocol.

VPN providers have gotten around this packet sniffing to a degree by adding another layer of encryption to their protocols to mask the traffic and ensure it is not recognisable via DPI.