China will crack down on virtual private networks in February, according to a report by Bloomberg News.
Many Chinese gamblers use the networks to gamble online at restricted sites. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom are among the firms ordered by the government to bar individuals from the use of VPNs by February 1, 2018, the report said.
The ban could also stop access to external news and media sources as well as retail and trade sites. VPNs are secure, encrypted internet connections that can be accessed only by connected machines. They can be used to skirt geolocation restrictions on internet access.
