Following Chinese censor blocks of fellow image-happy websites like Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, and Picasa. Pinterest found itself blocked by the world’s largest country. Pinterest was launched in 2009 and entered mainstream China in 2012, along with clones including Meilishuo, Mogujie, and Huaban. If you live or work in China and still to wish to access Pinterest, the only way is to use a virtual private network (VPN).

Why did China’s government block Pinterest?

Another theory was that the block came the same week as the annual gathering of China’s governing classes, known as Two Sessions, taking place in Beijing. The sessions often are on the lookout for potential problems to shut down, and it appears Pinterest was on their radar. Pinterest follows fellow social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and others into China’s pile of the banned.

China’s stance on VPNs

VPNs without really good security protocols continued to be banned, while ones with methods to circumvent said security remained in action. If you’re going to use a VPN while visiting China to view Pinterest, you must know of its capabilities beforehand to ensure it can take on the Great Firewall successfully. First and foremost, security must be very, very high. As China is one of the countries that will pursue legal action against violators of its censorship, you never want to be in the position of having to face legal action, particularly if you are not a Chinese national. At a minimum, VPNs should have strong encryption, be able to handle multiple types of protocols, and have the ability to sever the connection quickly if the VPN connection drops unexpectedly. IP and DNS leak protection are also strongly advised.

Best VPNS for using Pinterest in China

1VyprVPN

VyprVPN is a top-flight VPN for China because it has fantastic encryption and security protocol already in place. Its custom Chameleon encryption is top-flight and holds against all sorts of scans from a country like China’s censorship package. It offers 200,000 IP addresses spread across 70 locations and 700 servers. You can connect up to five devices per license and the VPN comes with both a kill switch and DNS leak protection.

2Trust.Zone VPN

Trust.Zone VPN has some very nice features in a plain brown wrapper, no bells and whistles here to hike up the price. It supports OpenVPN encryption and has servers in about 30 countries. If you’re not sure what you’re getting, there’s a free trial and a 10-day money-back guarantee. Trust.Zone is low cost and has a no-logs policy.  Plus it has unlimited bandwidth which makes it ideal to be your VPN for Kodi or another media player.

3PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN lives up to its name with amazing security features. On top of solid encryption is a no-logs policy, a kill switch, and a well-organized interface that can run up to six simultaneous connections on a single license. PrivateVPN gives you plenty of time to make a decision on whether this is the right VPN for you by offering a 30-day money-back guarantee. It has an enormous selection of connections, making it the best choice for India or Indonesia or anywhere in between. The only downside for PrivateVPN is that it struggles to access Netflix and it doesn’t have a huge number of countries in its network, just 56. However, for what it is, it’s an affordable, intelligency, easy-to-use option. Despite a couple of negatives, it can easily connect you with Pinterest while keeping you safe.