Chinese app provides legal way to get over the Great Firewall

A man wearing a traditional dress looks at his smartphone inside the Guangxi Normal University in Guilin, China. The Tuber app appears to be providing a government-approved platform for the nation’s 904 million netizens to legally visit overseas websites. — AFP

A developer backed by Chinese cybersecurity giant 360 Security Technology Inc has introduced a browser that allows mainland Chinese users to access previously blocked sites like Google and Facebook, partially bypassing Beijing’s Great Firewall.

The browser, named Tuber, requires mobile number registration before use. That makes users’ browsing activities traceable and can identify people because smartphone numbers are linked to unique Chinese identification numbers. Blocked websites that can be accessed via Tuber include YouTube, Instagram and The New York Times.