How to Unblock DuckDuckGo in China 2018?

Has DuckDuckGo been blocked in China? I am moving to China with husband and want to know if I can work normally there. I am a freelance and always need accurate information from the Internet. DuckDuckGo is my favorite search engine because it protects my privacy and offers the best result as well. If it is blocked, how can I unblock it?

Can You Access DuckDuckGo in China?

Can you load DuckDuckGo in China? Want to search information DuckDuckGo, but only get error page? It is because this search engine is blocked in China. Before knowing why and how to get the access to this search engine let’s give you some introduction to this search engine. DuckDuckGo was founded by Gabriel Weinberg in February 2008 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. It has become popular because it provides the best search results and privacy at the same time. It is the first search engine that chose not to keep track of the different users who are accessing the data from the engine. On top of protecting the privacy of searchers, DuckDuckGo also combines user-generated content from Wikipedia with “a search engine’s algorithmic search technology” to create what TechCrunch calls a hybrid search engine. With the achievements like being recognized by Apple on Safari browser and Firefox, this search engine is growing day by day.

However, users in China are not able to use DuckDuckGo easily because this anonymous search engine has been censored by the Great Firewall of China. DuckDuckGo is committed to offering the best search results and privacy protection to every Internet users, but the Chinese government won’t let their citizens to use this service. The size of the Chinese market is very profitable, but many western websites and services are blocked in China. Only foreign search engines that have Chinese servers, such as Bing and Yahoo, work in China, but sensitive information about China is removed from the search results. In order to unblock DuckDuckGo in China, you need a reliable VPN. It will encrypt your device’s inbound and outbound Internet traffic and route it through an intermediary server in a location of your choosing. By selecting a server outside of China, you can bypass the country’s nationwide Internet censorship system to access blocked websites.

Why is DuckDuckGo Blocked in China?

DuckDuckGo is a very popular search engine throughout the world? How come it is banned in China? So far, there’s been no official explanation on why China has blocked DuckDuckGo. According to its blocking history, this search engine has been considered as a threat to the government. Some users believe that this search engine was blocked because it was filtering the data as per the rules stated by the great firewall of China. The government demands that certain information be blocked from its citizens. It’s a concern for China if Internet users search for information on Tiananmen Square or the recent protests in Hong Kong. They are afraid that their citizens can be provoked by some aggressive statements and turn against the government. They also block famous social media platforms, video-sharing websites and more services to prevent its citizens from discussing and spreading sensitive topics about the government and nation. In the past, there was one developing country which was destroyed by uncontrolled statement on the Internet. Besides, several protests became violence and riots for aggressive statements spreading widely on the Internet. The Chinese government gradually recognizes the power of social media and Internet. Therefore, they are keen on closely monitoring all the Internet activities of the people. To services they can’t control like DuckDuckGo, they choose to block the contents.

Others believe that China blocks DuckDuckGo to promote the local services. This country has its own companies that offer similar services like Baidu and Qihoo. By blocking foreign services, the local companies have a good place in the market. Over 70% of the national search traffic goes through Baidu. The huge population contributes a lot to the development of Chinese companies. The DuckDuckGo block prevents the Chinese users from accessing content that the government considers as improper and stops international companies to compete with these local companies.

The Great Firewall of China

It is well known that the Internet censorship in China is very high. It has the most advanced firewall system. The Great Firewall of China is a part of the Golden Shield Project which was created to monitor and censor users’ online activities. The authority stated that they built the firewall to check if the data that has been accessed is following the cultural rules or not. The cultural rules here mean that the content is not offensive and not a threat to the public. They think sensitive information found on DuckDuckGo can cause riots which is not good for the national unity. This is why they make great effort in blocking many websites and search engines for Chinese network. It is estimated that the government employs over 50,000 government employees to maintain and update the censorship system. This project is both controversial and interesting since it was Western technology that allowed China to enter the technological age, as well censor it. Nowadays, China plays a leading role in technology industry. The Great Firewall of China is the best example. It utilizes technologies on software including DNS pollution and injection, IP and port blocking, TCP reset, interfere secure connection, proxy blocking, IPv6 censorship and Email blocking etc. The firewall also censors you on hardware based on CISCO’s Internet devices and forms an intrusion detection system. The hardware parts are deployed on the international gateway and local Internet centers of China’s major ISPs. Once related domains, key words and other information are stored in the system, the firewall filters the blocked content when it knows you are located in mainland China. You can’t access Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, DuckDuckGo and other famous websites with the local servers. To unblock DuckDuckGo, you need to bypass the firewall.

How to Unblock DuckDuckGo in China?

Since the firewall is very powerful, is it possible to bypass? Yes, it is possible. The firewall blocks your connection because you are located in mainland China and accessing services that are in the list. To unblock DuckDuckGo, all you need is a new IP address that can’t be traced by the firewall or seems safe to the firewall. You need to connect to a new server from where you can access DuckDuckGo because Chinese servers will not be entertaining you with this blocked. How to get a new IP address and connect to server outside China without moving to a country? You need a VPN to achieve this goal. VPN is short for virtual private network which uses the Internet to transfer information using secure methods. VPN providers offer IP addresses and servers from countries across different continents to allow users to access the global network freely. When you are connected to a VPN, your IP address will be replaced by a new one offered by the VPN provider and you will be connected server in country that you chose. The snoopers, ISP and government only see the IP address of VPN provider. They don’t know your real identity and your location. The firewall can’t detect that you are in mainland China, so it won’t censor your connection. At the same time, a VPN encrypts your connection to the Internet. Others only see encrypted content when you conduct activities online. That means your ISP and government do not know what you are visiting blocked websites. Therefore, they have no reason to disconnect you. In this way, you are able to unblock DuckDuckGo in China without any problem.

Your VPN doesn’t Help Unblocking DuckDuckGo?

Using VPN is very easy for many users, but it’s not that simple for users in China. Some users complain that they still can’t use DuckDuckGo even when they are using a VPN. One possible reason why your VPN does not help is it may not be created with the feature to bypass the Great Firewall of China. You need to make sure that the VPN you are about to purchase is strong enough to circumvent the strict censorship system. Another reason is your VPN may be detected and disabled by firewall. The firewall not only blocks websites, but also blocks VPN to control the network in the maximum way. It is very necessary to pick the right VPN to unblock DuckDuckGo successfully in China.

How to Choose the Right VPN for China?

There are various VPNs in the markets. You may get confused can can’t decide which one you should choose. As not all of the VPNs work in China, you can’t just pick one without learning if it will meet your need. Different VPN have different strong points. So, what kind of VPN you should choose to unblock DuckDuckGo in China? First of all, it must be able to bypass the firewall. The VPN you choose should be powerful and equipped with advanced technology. As we know, the firewall has been updated constantly to block as many websites and VPNs. The government even makes some VPN companies shut down after they became popular. If the VPN has free trial, you can try it to see if it works before you purchase it. It is suggested to download and install VPN before you arrive in China because some VPNs are able to bypass firewall while their websites are blocked. Secondly, you should sign up with VPN provider that advertises zero-logs policies. It is important to make sure that they don’t record or store the contents of your traffic so that your privacy is protected. Thirdly, the provided servers should be high uptime, encrypted, smart and worldwide so as to help you bypass government censorship and unblock more services in China anytime. Of course, you should choose the one which has servers supporting DuckDuckGo. Finally, the speed of VPN should be fast and stable. As the ISP and government control the network strictly, you may not be able to enjoy the fast connection speed. Especially after 8 pm in mainland China, you will notice the network become very slow when you try to visit websites outside China. When you download or upload, the ISP throttles your connection and you will have to wait for a long time. When the VPN is fast and stable, you can get useful information from DuckDuckGo quickly under the strict network environment. If you still have problem in selecting a VPN for China, you can get more information from VPN reviewers and pick one among the suggested VPNs.

Free or Paid VPNs?

Some users may wonder if it is worth to invest a VPN to unblock DuckDuckGo in China. Should you use a free or paid VPN? In our view, it is worth to invest a VPN. On one hand, free VPNs are not as strong as the paid ones. The free VPN providers do not spend much money on equipping and upgrading their services. Most of them do not have the ability to defeat the Great Firewall of China. On the other hand, some free VPNs are not trusted as they monitor your activity, inject advertisements and track cookies into your web browser to get income. You may be sacrificing your privacy to get a VPN. We are not saying that the more expensive one is better. It depends on what you need. Some VPNs are cheaper, but they still are great in circumventing the censorship system and have great speed.

When investing a VPN, you not only can unblock DuckDuckGo in China, but also can access other blocked services like YouTube, Gmail and WhatsApp. Some VPNs even let you unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer though they are restricted to their own country and block VPN access. As the VPN encrypts your online traffics and masks your IP address, your government can’t monitor you and the hackers can’t steal your confidential information on the Internet. You can browse and shop online privately and safely. Some VPNs embrace torrent and P2P with unlimited speed and bandwidth. You don’t have pay high fee for streaming and data usage.

Guide to Set Up VPN on Android

1. Unblock the device screen. Tap the Settings icon and select “More” under Wireless & Networks.

2. Select the VPN option on the Wireless & Networks screen.

3. Tap the “+” button and enter the VPN’s details. Give a name to help you remember which VPN is which into the Name field. Then, select the type of VPN server you’re connecting to, and enter the VPN server’s address.

4. Tap the VPN to connect once you finish the setup. You are allowed to choose from the multiple VPN servers configured and switch between them from the VPN screen.

It requires your VPN username and password to login when you connect. If you think it’s inconvenient to enter detail every time, you can save this account information for next time. While connected to a VPN, you will see a persistent “VPN activated” notification in your notifications drawer. To disconnect, tap the notification and tap Disconnect. In this way, you can access Dropbox in China on Android freely.

Best VPNs for China or Other Prohibited Countries

Detail of Some VPNs

ExpressVPN:

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NordVPN:

NordVPN has a strict zero log policy and uses two security protocols: OpenVPN with 2048-bit SSL encryption and the 3072-bit IKEv2/IPsec that is currently the most secure protocol available in the market. Additional security features, such as DNS leak protection and double data encryption, are also available. Its IP addresses and wide VPN servers enable you to avoid government censorship and geo-restriction. What’s more, the NordVPN service is based in Panama, which has no data retention laws, meaning that none of your data is recorded, stored or passed to anyone.

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Conclusion

DuckDuckGo is a very popular search engine which has always put privacy first, ensuring users that no personal data is kept by the company through the private browser. Its great privacy protection policy is the reason why it is famous, but also is the reason why it is blocked by China. The Chinese government cannot see the information being transmitted and control the information flow, so they choose to block this search engine. The censorship problems are hectic and annoying because users can’t access their favorite websites and services freely after arriving in China. When you use an IP address in mainland China, the firewall will disconnect you once you try to access DuckDuckGo. To avoid the censorship, you need to convince the firewall that you are located outside mainland China. A VPN will help you achieve this goal. It enables you to unblock websites in China and connect using an encrypted tunnel through the Chinese network to another country IP address while masking your real IP address, providing you with the freedom you need to use all search engine services, gain access to all your social media websites and unblock all streaming service. VPNs also protect your privacy and important data on the Internet. With worldwide servers, you also can unblock more contents with geo-restriction and enjoy unlimited access to the Internet. Want to use DuckDuckGo to access reliable and open Internet resource in China? Get a VPN. You will find out that it is totally worth to invest a VPN.

Submitted by Josh M. Grove June 8, 2018