Chinese porn crackdown goes mobile

'I pt on my rbe & wzrd h@...They're coming for me!'

By Austin Modine • Get more from this author

Posted in Government, 21st January 2009 18:58 GMT

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China intends to broaden its crackdown on internet pornography to banning overly-amorous messages sent by mobile phones.

The People's Republic announced it will extend its iron fist policy on hairy palms after shutting down 1,250 websites because of their so-called explicit content.

"We will incorporate 'lewd' messages spread via mobile phones into the crackdown," a joint notice from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Culture, and five other government offices said, according the official Xinhua agency.

The report doesn't indicate how the government plans to go about screening mobile phone messages for pornographic material.

Although there is already a ban on explicit mobile text and picture messages, the consequences of violating China's present efforts appear to be quite a bit more serious.

Xinhua reports that so far, 41 people have been detained in the crackdown for "promulgating porn online."

The nationwide campaign launched early this year hopes to purge the internet of websites accused of "violating public morality and harming the physical and mental health of youth and young people."

Recently, the Chinese government also named and shamed 19 internet websites and operators including Google and Baidu for being too slow to remove links to pornographic material and hosting "politically harmful information."

Each of the websites were quick to post public apologies for any negative effects done to society and promised to help build a healthier internet culture. ®

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