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Great Firewall of China grows bigger

Written by Ben Blaschke

China is upping the ante in its long-running censorship campaign after it announced a crackdown on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs), which are commonly used to access overseas websites blocked by the government’s famed Great Firewall.

In a notice from China’s Ministry of Information and Technology, the government has stated that the use of any VPN is now required to be regulated by telecoms regulators, essentially rendering them illegal if not given official permission.

Beijing will also require internet service providers, data centres and content distribution networks to be licensed by the government.

The notice regarding VPNs applies to both individuals and companies with those who are approved to use a VPN must do so for office work only and will have their data recorded.

Telecoms providers have been given until 18 March 2018 to shut down all unauthorized VPNs.