Browser for Legally Bypassing Great Firewall is Now Banned?

Source: SCMP

Chinese web browser Kuniao, which had advertised itself as the first legal tool to allow mainland internet users to bypass the Great Firewall, has disappeared from the internet in China after attracting widespread social media attention.

Internet users on the mainland can no longer access the browsers download page or access the Weibo and WeChat official accounts of Kuniao, which had marketed itself as allowing Chinese internet users to access Twitter, YouTube and Reddit with a single click.

The account is no longer available after user complaints and a platform review amid suspicions that it violated relevant laws and regulations, a message says if you go to Kuniaos WeChat official account.

It now shows no result in searches by people who have not followed the account before.

Kuniao did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Cyberspace Administration of China did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kuniao browser, developed by Fuzhou-based Zixun Tech, was not totally capable of bypassing the great firewall though. It filtered Google search results on sensitive topics in China, according to some people who used the service and posted their comments on Twitter.

The Kuniao app was launched in September and the company said it quickly reached 3,000 users, and its servers were overloaded with 200,000 people having either accessed or registered for the service, according to an Abacus story.

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