China Continues to Shut Down Foreign Adult Sites

BEIJING — In another wave of its massive campaign to censor the Internet, Chinese officials have shut down 700 online-adult sites in the last two weeks.

No details were given on the cases Tuesday, the official Xinhua News Agency said, but 224 suspects have been detained since July 16.

For months, China has attempted to block access to foreign sites deemed subversive or obscene. It has also imprisoned activists for posting political material online.

Since it publicized two telephone numbers and a website for people to report online-adult sites, the ministry has received 733 phone calls and 16,711 online tips.

Sites offering “pornographic activities online or organizing sex trade” were targeted, Xinhua said.

Government official Wu Mingshan told Xinhua that “a clean online environment'' has been established in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as Liaoning province in the northeast and Guangdong in the south.

The official also said that the Communist government will be targeting fraud and gambling in the future.

Meanwhile, Xinhua announced Tuesday that China's Internet population grew 28 percent over the past year to 87 million, while use of broadband and online commerce is soaring.

According to a survey froom the Network Information Center, more than half of Chinese Internet users plan to start shopping online in the coming year. The finding could give Internet retailers a morale boost as they struggle to fulfill early projections that China's 1.3 billion people would offer a huge online marketplace.

But growth of online commerce has been held back by China's lack of credit cards and poor delivery services, even though some entrepreneurs are developing new methods for online payment.

Despite the booming growth, China's online population is only 6.7 percent of the overall population, just over half the world average of 12 percent, Xinhua said.

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Utah 'Porn Tax' Bill With VPN Provisions Passes State Senate

The Utah state Senate has passed a bill that would impose a 2% tax on the revenues of adult websites doing business in that state, and make sites liable if Utah minors use VPNs to circumvent geolocation.

Fast-Tracked Arizona Bill Includes Consent 'Catch-22' for Adult Sites

A bill advancing rapidly through the Arizona state legislature would impose new requirements for adult content uploaded online, including seemingly contradictory provisions that could effectively make it impossible for adult sites to operate in the state.

VirtualRealPorn Launches New WebXR Site

VirtualRealPorn has officially launched its new site, powered by Web Extended Reality (WebXR).

'MyAsianGFs' Launches Through Paysite.com

MyAsianGFs.com has officially launched through Paysite.com.

Corey Silverstein to Host Webinar on North Carolina Age Verification Thursday

Adult industry attorney Corey D. Silverstein has announced his latest "Legal Impact" webinar, titled "North Carolina AV Law — Content Creation Issues," to livestream Thursday at 4 p.m. (EST).

Ofcom Fines 8579 LLC $1.8 Million for AV Noncompliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom on Monday imposed a fine of 1.35 million pounds (more than $1.8 million) against adult site operator 8579 LLC for failing to implement age checks as required for compliance with the Online Safety Act.

Pearl Industry Network Launches 'TrustLink' Creator Verification Platform

Trade group Pearl Industry Network (PiN) has launched TrustLink, its free creator verification platform.

FSC Updates Complaint in Tennessee AV Case, AG Motions to Dismiss

The Free Speech Coalition this week filed an amended complaint in its lawsuit challenging the Protect Tennessee Minors Act as unconstitutional, in response to which the Tennessee attorney general motioned for dismissal of the case.

Cherie DeVille Joins Woodhull Freedom Foundation 'Free Speech' Panel

Multi-XMAs winner Cherie DeVille will join the upcoming Woodhull Freedom Foundation panel series "Fact Checked by Woodhull," addressing free speech on Feb. 26.

Wisconsin AV Bill Moves Ahead, Minus Anti-VPN Provisions

The Wisconsin state Senate on Wednesday advanced a bill that would require adult websites to verify the ages of users, but approved an amendment striking proposed language that would have required sites to block virtual private network traffic.

Show More