China tightens Internet control by blocking VPN services

China is clamping down on unrestricted access to the Internet by blocking services that allow users to get around government censorship.Several foreign-based operators of virtual private network (VPN) services said Friday that access to their services in China had been disrupted as a result of the crackdown and users are facing a harder time getting to some foreign websites.Virtual private networks work by establishing an encrypted pipe between a computer or smartphone and a server in a forei