China Clamps Down on VPNs

Virtual private networks have been a popular means of bypassing Internet controls

Multinationals and foreign web users based in China to get jittery on Wednesday after pictures began circling the internet which suggested a new clamp down on the use of virtual private networks (VPNs).

While VPNs in the Western world are more commonly used to enhance security, for netizens-in-the-know living in the People's Republic they represent an essential tool for bypassing the Great Firewall, which blocks many foreign sites and services including Twitter, Facebook and, periodically, Gmail.