Thinking of getting a VPN for my upcoming China trip. Looks like the LetsVPN is popular and works well in China, and also heavily targeted there with advertising.
But is it safe? Could it be something sponsored by the CCP government? Instead of letting you use some other VPNs they have absolutely no control of, they can provide you with something within their surveillance?
This question is stupid. LetsVPN was used by exactly nobody until this subreddit became a channel for their advertisements. Just use astrill like 90% of the vpn using population.
I am pretty sure this is related to CCP sponsorship. Currently all major vpn players are blocked quickly in China and you tell me this one can flourish alone like a hero? As many mentioned here, the name of the boss, easy access to company website from China, payment facilitated by Chinese major payment providers.
I just had a chat with their support agent. I asked directly “are you in bed with CCP?” and they responded, “what is CCP?”. Want me to believe they were so naive, particularly they are dealing with VPN business?
We can pay with Alipay and WeChat pay. We can even access it’s website without using any VPN in China mainland. In addition we can even find their official website when searching on Baidu. All of these facts make me feel high suspicious of this VPN. However it’s true that it’s always reliable and works all the time.
I notice most of the main vpn servers seem to go to Hong Kong, so I assume that it’s a Hong Kong based VPN, with its headquarters in Canada. Hong Kong also has its own version of AlipayHK and is still kind of operating on its own unique governance; one country two governance, probably due to capatibility issues to merge the two governments together.
I’m not a mainland person, so I don’t know if they advertise their VPN in China. All I know is that as a user, it’s the only VPN at the moment that connects reliably and allows me to access crucial Western workplace apps.
I think the middle answer would be if you aren’t doing anything against the CCP but just need to get work done while on vacation, then it’s a great vpn. You don’t really have a choice since most vpns don’t connect too well or are too expensive for the average joe. The other option is to not use vpn and suffer not being able to access Google and other American / global websites for work related activities, unless you find a way to integrate your workflow with Chinese / East-Asian technologies, i.e. feishu or lark, which aren’t too bad and sometimes even better.
This subreddit is a channel for LetsVPN advertisements
Hey guys, instead use this vpn that is also heavily mentioned on this sub and endorsed by 90% of this subreddit and the population (source: who’s asking?!)
To be fair, there are a lot of people advocating for astrill too (your self included it seems) when it is also not the best. Just get a cheap Shadosocks server which is much faster, cheaper and more reliable than astrill.
Some users highly value their privacy which I understand, but I also agree with this statement. China allows you to live a high-quality life as long as you stay out of politics. If anyone visits China, they can witness how much the government invests in its people. And I’m saying this as an American, go on little red book to witness testimonies of this. Does America invest as much on its citizens while spending its taxes to Israel, a foreign country unrelated to the wellbeing and ethical standards of America?
Based on the name of the director, the payment methods accepted and the aggressive advertising towards mainland Chinese users (sometimes in Chinese as 快连VPN) and the implication that it is meant for them (i.e. “The VPN That Always Connects” - like in which other country would a VPN not connect?) I wouldn’t touch it with a 39½ foot pole then…
well, cuz as all the old hands know that for all of astrills bullshit over the years, it has consistently remained the most reliable for those who don’t wanna deal with setting up their own thing.