BEJING — China’s continuing crackdown on porn has escalated once again, this time shutting down 97,000 blog and microblog accounts accused of circulating “lewd” content.
The State Internet Information Office (SIIO) said the government has also shuttered 164 porn publications.
China’s seven-month long anti-porn crusade targets Internet and cell phones, and to date has yielded 2,446 cases that inlcuded the investigation and punishment of 287 Internet companies.
Public security authorities reported that it has also busted 41 rings involved in adult content.
Fueled by the country’s citizens, the State Information Office told the Xinhua news agency that the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center received 460,000 tips from the public alone.
Unlike sporadic policing of Internet porn in other Asian and Muslim countries, China is dogged in its relentless attacks that are seemingly on a monthly timetable.
In July, China's Ministry of Public Security shut down adult website MM Apartment and arrested more than 2000 suspects in connection with the site, which counts 1 million-plus registered users.
The country also began forcing streaming video websites to censor themselves.
China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) issued new rules mandating that webmasters pre-screen all content deemed vulgar or violent, including porn.
And in August, three of China’s telecom giants along with major web portals signed a letter of commitment vowing to stop the spread of online porn.
China Daily reported that China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom along with web giants Sina, Baidu, Tencent and the official websites of Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China, all agreed to the move.
