China is beefing up a campaign to root out services that circumvent the Govern-ment's internet censorship with a 14-month-long "clean-up" of the internet industry.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a directive that it forbids the operation of virtual private networks (VPNs) or leased lines that allow users and businesses to access blocked overseas websites without government permission.
Between now and March 2018, authorities will enforce the regulations with inspections of cloud-hosting and content-delivery services, an industry that has shown signs of "disorderly development," the ministry said yesterday.