Internet Porn Crackdown Campaign Continues in China

By | 5 March, 2012

It started five years ago. China’s government had launched a crackdown on online pornography that is perceived to have “contaminated cyberspace” and “perverted China’s young minds.” At that time, Chen Hui, a website owner that had more than 9 million pornographic images with 600,000 registered users, was sentenced to life in prison. Officials say that 33.5 percent of its detainees were influenced by violent online games or porn sites when they committed crimes such as robbery and rape. As such, the Ministry of Public Security has run a six-month campaign targeting cyber strip-shows and sexually explicit content. What is the situation now?

Chinese youths use computers at an Internet cafe in Beijing in this file photo. Chinese authorities continue cracking down on online pornography, although critics say the main target are sites with subversive content. (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)

In 2009, Chinese police have shut down 90 websites, arrested 5,394 people and investigated 4,186 criminal cases against Internet Pornography. This is a fourfold increase in the number of such cases compared with the previous year. As a preventive action, China Government implemented strict rules on domain name registrations and user-generated content. In addition, China has banned a number of popular websites and Internet services, including Google’s YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook, as well as Chinese content-sharing sites.

60,000 porn sites have been closed down, and and 5,000 people were arrested in 2010 as the authorities put more pressure against obscene material, aimed at cracking down on pornography. Those who wanted to register domain names had to submit their ID cards and photos, and meet the regulators and representatives of hosting providers in person before being granted their domains.

6,600 websites have been shuttered since April 2011 after being accused of engaging in “illegal public relations deals.” LinkedIn was the latest social network blocked as to prevent uprisings similar to the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East.

Last week marked another new internet crackdown campaign, as the collaboration between nine government departments was announced. It starts from this March through the end of August, focusing on porn-related websites, including the mobile sites.

All campaigns and blocking use the world’s most extensive system of Web monitoring, filtering and blocking. These are notable for not only targeting porn-related websites, though, but also illegal online lotteries, contraband trade, fraud and “content that spreads rumors and is of a slanderous nature.” Spreading “malignant tumors” online is only one such example. Seems too much? From the Chinese users’ point of view, it’s normal. Authorities encourage the use of online tools for education and business, while  justifying their actions against the increasing pornography-related crimes online.

Many parties criticize the crackdown, since its’ not only porn that’s banned. Material considered subversive, politically sensitive and even other user-generated content are being forced offline. Chinese authorities say that such a “contamination” from the internet might disrupt their social framework as the foundation of the tremendous economic growth the country has been experiencing for more than two decades.



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