Mainland websites told to crack down on smut
Operators of websites on the mainland would lose their licences if they did not crack down on sexually explicit content in their chat rooms and on bulletin boards, a top propaganda official warned.
Cai Mingzhao , vice-director of the Communist Party's Central Office for Overseas Publicity, said the forums not only contained pornographic material such as photos and movies but also advertisements for prostitutes, Xinhua reported.
Mr Cai said such material had to be removed from the internet to provide a healthy environment for young people. The crackdown is part of a drive directed by President Hu Jintao to rid mainland media of 'contaminated' material.
Mr Cai said internet chat rooms and bulletin boards were the weak link in the crackdown because of lax supervision by website operators. He said this problem had to be rectified through stricter monitoring.
Mr Cai added that the campaign had received overwhelming public support, with an official website set up to receive information on 'illegal and unconscionable information' so far receiving about 22,000 complaints, 95 per cent of which related to pornographic websites.
Meanwhile, a consortium of central governmental agencies recently announced a crackdown on illegal satellite TV receivers.
The devices, which are widespread in main cities, provide access to foreign television channels, which are banned in China.
