China Cuts to the Chase, Blocks Access to Google's Gmail Service

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

The next step in China's effort to block all things Google

After several months of service disruptions, China appears to have found a way to block access to Google's Gmail service through third-party email clients. China had already been disrupting service to Gmail for the better part of six months, though users have been able to login via third-party software. As of Friday, that was no longer the case, and Internet users in China are pretty peeved about it.
There are still ways around the blockade, and since this is a decision that doesn't just affect access to personal email accounts, you can bet that foreign companies that use Gmail will utilize alternative methods. One way around the block is to ensure that employees have access to VPNs (virtual private networks), which allows them get passed China's censorship controls.
This latest move joins several previous efforts to shut Google out of China, as the country already blocks many of the company's services, such as Google Search, Maps, Docs, and Drive. Earlier this year, China made it difficult to access Gmail directly, though left open access from third-party apps like Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook that use IMAP, POP, and SMTP protocols.
"They shouldn’t have blocked Google or Gmail; it’s against the spirit of the Internet," Yuan Shengang, chief executive of Netentsec, a Beijing-based cybersecurity company, told The New York Times.
China's decision will have widespread consequences that might not be immediately obvious. For example, a lecturer at Nanjing University pointed out in a blog post this is a "critical moment for many students who are currently applying for overseas universities." Since their contacts are Gmails, the inconvenience of such a blockage could prevent them from returning.
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