China: 1 129 porn sites closed

2004-12-23 10:14

Beijing - China has shut down 1 287 websites which spread "harmful information" on religious cults, superstition and pornography, a government internet watchdog said on Thursday.

Among those closed were 1 129 pornographic sites and another 114 "which promoted gambling, superstitious activities and cult propaganda," said the official Reporting Centre for Illegal and Harmful Information.

The centre said the crackdown was in response to public complaints made over its website in a campaign which started in June.

Police rewarded informers by paying them $60 to $241 (R339 to R1 360), according to earlier reports.

"While continuing to support the crackdown on pornographic websites, the reporting centre will make it a priority to target illegal websites on gambling, fraud and superstition," it said.

China often uses the word "superstition" to refer to religions.

Crackdown

People are allowed to worship in state-sanctioned churches and temples but authorities regularly crackdown on groups outside of the government's control.

The centre also said search engines were barred from directing and linking searches to pornographic and other websites which contain "harmful information."

"(We) urge the industry to heighten its political awareness and sense of responsibility," it said.

The report did not say whether any arrests had been made.

The crackdown reflects the Communist Party's growing concerns about what it regards as the negative influence of the internet on China's youngsters, but also the general ethical standards of its people.

China has an internet population of 87 million with about half of the web users under the age of 24.

- AFP