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 © 2025 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

VPN Usage Surges in France After Aylo Restricts Access to Pornhub

France has experienced a surge in virtual private network (VPN) signups after Aylo, which operates Pornhub, Redtube and YouPorn, cut off access to those sites in the country in the wake of new age verification regulations, business news site MENAFN is reporting.

US Arcades Introduces Multi-Language Support

U.S. Arcades has introduced multi-language support to its arcade units.

New Creator Directory 'TrustyFans' Launches

TrustyFans, a new directory for creators, has officially launched.

Corey Silverstein to Host Webinar on 'SCOTUS Age Verification Ruling'

Where Does Age Verification Go From Here," to livestream July 10 at 4 p.m. (EDT).

FSC Publishes Guidance on Google Analytics Lawsuits

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published guidance on how adult websites can protect themselves in the wake of several consumer class action lawsuits filed against sites for using Google Analytics.

BranditScan, CreatorTraffic Partner for 'Creators & Agencies' Initiative

BranditScan and advertising network CreatorTraffic have partnered for an initiative to help creators and agencies generate traffic and protect their content.

Teasy Agency Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Teasy Agency has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Aylo, Pineapple Support Partner for Mental Health Video Series

Aylo has teamed up with Pineapple Support to create a safety video series aimed at educating performers and creators about mental health.

Ofcom Investigates FTV Sites for Possible AV Noncompliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom is investigating First Time Videos, which operates the sites FTVGirls.com and FTVMilfs.com, for possible failure to comply with age assurance requirements under the Online Safety Act.

Stalwart Defender: Jeffrey Douglas on 30 Years Fighting for Free Expression

“If you had told me in 1995 that I would be on the FSC board for 30 years, I would have laughed out loud,” says Jeffrey Douglas.

Show More