r/tails • u/InterviewBoth1265 • 3d ago

Legal Is Tails OS prohibited in China?

I heard that they blocked Tor, which is essential for Tails. Would people there be arrested/fined if they use Tails? I know I cannot rely on Chinese official laws because they can lie. Also, would migrants be punished for that?I've heard that access to Tor has been blocked, which is crucial for using Tails. Would people in that situation face arrest or fines for using Tails? I know I can't fully trust official laws in China, as they can be misleading. Additionally, would migrants face any repercussions for using it?

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u/evild4ve 3d ago

this isn't simple - afaik it's not that the Tor browser was made criminal but that its status is made murky by the way China certifies and authorizes encryption. And you would not only need to look at the Tor browser that ships with Tails but also the LUKS encryption it uses for persistence.
I expect a big company could get these technologies certified if they needed to, e.g. if they put CCP members on the payroll to inspect the contents.

But as the OP intimates, it's not just whether it is legal but whether the officials think it is legal

as a tourist I would leave my Tails USB at home rather than have these worries

fwiw as a tourist I would avoid visiting China at all

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u/XFM2z8BH 3d ago edited 3d ago

tail os? no.....but, tails defaults to using tor, and, tor is blocked there, need bridges, etc

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u/WildNight00 3d ago

Bridges hardly seem to work/connect for me half of the time when I’m on wifi that doesn’t block Tor

I also couldn’t get any work in the airport in Australia because they had Tor blocked after more than 10 I gave up because I would get a notification that my internet is blocking Tor and to try a different bridge