How to Access Facebook in China

Facebook is one of the largest social media networks in the world. With a global user-base of billions of people and over 1.23 billion monthly active users, no social network has yet been able to beat the influence and power of Facebook. Despite the impressive figures, you have to unblock Facebook in China to use it.  Other countries that have blocked Facebook include; Bangladesh, North Korea, and Iran.

The social site was launched by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 along with his roommate Eduardo Saverin. In 2004, both Zuckerberg and Saverin were student at the Harvard University and had no idea that their little project will go onto create history and start a new craze; social media among teenagers and adults.

Unlike the majority of countries, Chinese government has full control over the internet content being published in their country. They reportedly restrict, delete and ban content that might not be in the best interests of the state. Facebook was blocked in China in the year 2009 during Urumqi riots in a Chinese province called Xinjiang.

When the Chinese government found out, Zinjiang independence activists were using Facebook for their communications network; it was officially blocked by the government. Another fact to be noted here is that Facebook is not the only foreign website block in China rather there is a number of websites that include: Twitter Inc., The New York Times and Bloomberg News.

So, if you are living in China and really want to access Facebook in the country, you would have to unblock Facebook in China. Thanks to technology, nothing can remain blocked forever because there are always some ways to get around things. To access Facebook in China, here are a few ways using which you can post on your Facebook account, socialize with your friends and upload a few photos maybe. Let’s get started:

 Use a VPN

The first question that might pop up in your head is: how do I bypass the Great Firewall of China? Well, to do so you have to hide your internet traffic by using encryption method. Once your traffic is encrypted, Chinese authorities cannot know if you are accessing Facebook in China or from some other country. One of the best ways to unblock Facebook in China is to simple use a VPN.

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network that not only protects your identity online but also hides your internet activity from everyone. Once you use a VPN, you get connected to a remote service, which will bypass all the blocks imposed by Chinese government. A VPN service encrypts your internet data and traffic, providing you with a safe zone where you can access any website in the world.

These VPN services typically have a monthly fee, which depends on the service provider and features you have chosen. Although the Chinese authorities are on a constant lookout of VPN services, there are still a handful of VPN services that you can use to access Facebook in China. Five of the most popular and trusted VPN services that you can choose from are: ExpressVPN, AirVPN, VyperVPN, PrivateVPN and PureVPN.

Check out each VPN service individually and select the one that suits you the best. After you have decided on a VPN service, the process of getting a non-Chinese IP Address  works like this:

• Go to the VPN website and create an account
• Download the VPN application and install it on desktop/mobile
• Log into the application using the username and password
• Choose a non-Chinese server like UK, US

After you have been connected to a server, that is not China-based. Simply visit ‘www.facebook.com’ and hurray, you’d be able to log into your Facebook account and do anything you’d want to.

Use a Proxy

A proxy is a website that is based on a location other than yours and henceforth lets you access website, which are otherwise blocked in your location. For instance, if your proxy is in the United Kingdom, you’d be accessing websites that are available for the public in the UK. So, if you want to unblock Facebook in China, using a proxy can be a good idea.

While trying a proxy to access Facebook, do your homework properly else you might be caught by the Chinese authorities.

One of the most secure proxies to use is Proxy Center. The best thing about this proxy is that they have a free trial, which means you’d be able to see if it works or not before spending any money on it. Unlike a VPN, you will not have to download any application on your desktop or smartphone – rather you can start using it right away.

Use Tor Browser

Tor is a free distributed network. Unlike other browsers in the world, it keeps the user’s identity anonymous when you are connected to internet via Tor. Tor allows its users to bypass any kind of restrictions or firewalls imposed on the internet connection.

The Tor browser bundle can be both downloaded and copied from a friend’s PC. Simply insert it into your USB and save it in your desktop.  The browser bundle is available for Linux, Mac and Windows. Because the Tor browser has a user interface similar to Firefox, it is pretty easy to use.

• Run the browser program
• State of Tor connection will appear
• When connection is established, browser will open
• Visit facebook.com

These were three of the most popular methods that can help you in unblocking Facebook in China and accessing it as if there were no restrictions in the first place. Which method do you like the most and used to access Facebook in China? Let us know about your experience.