So something very important has come to my attention recently. I wrote quite a bit in the past couple months about how L2TP and PPTP VPN protocols were blocked in China, and users with iPhones, iPads, and other mobile devices were pretty much screwed. It was my understanding that without PPTP and L2TP VPN, you simply could not access Facebook in China on iPhone.
However, I was contacted by Securitales a few days ago, and I learned about something called a Web-Based Service. I though most of these had been blocked, and I also though that the paid ones weren't worth the money when compared to paid VPN services.
What I didn't realize is that you could use a service like Securitales to access Facebook in China on iPhone and iPad.
This is very cool.
I was also very surprised that Securitales was pretty fast too. Much faster that I expected.
Here's how Securitales works, and how to access Facebook in China on iPhone, iPad, and other mobile devices or smart phones like Android or Nokia.
So instead of having to download anything like with a VPN, they'll send you a link to your email inbox, and you can use the password and username they give you to get started. Later, you could bookmark this page for quicker signing in. I've got a trial account (if you click the link, the free trial is right under the sign up form) with a link in the email they sent me that I usually sign in with – but it's the same. This is also great because in the case that China ever does block the Securitales site, you'll still be able to access your account through your email.
Then a kind of Navigation bar thing pops up in your browser, and you type the sites you want to surf into the secure browser.
It's because web-based and not a L2TP or PPTP VPN that you can use your iPhone to access Facebook and other sites in China. As long as it can surf the net, it can access the Securitales sites or your email inbox, and you'll be able to unblock sites.
I was also able to access Youtube and stream video at about the same speed as my VPN, which surprised me the most.
One of the disadvantages is that you can't access the Netflix and Hulu with this service, but not everyone needs to and to be honest, you can get most of that stuff on Youku, Tudou PPS, or Feixing for free anyway (for users in China).
For Mac, Windows, and Linux users, I'd still suggest the VPN. It's a bit more convenient to be able to sign in and forget about the VPN running in the background. I frequently forget to type the URL I want to go to into the Securitales browser instead of my Firefox browser, which means I've got to back up and try again – this may just be because I'm a new user and not used to it yet.
But definitely users who wand to access Facebook in China on iPhone, for iPhone users who frequently stream video from Youtube, or for iPhone users who just want to for get about this whole Internet censorship thing and surf free Internet, Securitales is a pretty awesome service.
Securitales Website
Oh, and I almost forgot, there's a FREE TRIAL. You can't beat that with a stick. (the free trial link is right under the sign up form)