China arrests 5,000 for internet pornography offences
China arrested more than 5,000 people in 2009 in a drive to purge the internet of pornography and other “harmful information”.
China maintains strict censorship of the internet in order to make sure that unhealthy content, including criticism of the Communist Party, does not reach a wide audience.
By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
The ministry of public security said 5,394 people had been arrested and that over 9,000 websites had been deleted for having pornographic content. The ministry did not say how many people had subsequently been put on trial.
The authorities released the figures with a warning that its policing of the internet would intensify in 2010 in order to preserve “state security”.
China maintains strict censorship of the internet in order to make sure that unhealthy content, including criticism of the Communist Party, does not reach a wide audience.
Websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter are all blocked and Google has received a public warning for not censoring itself more thoroughly.
With over 350 million internet users, the government worries that any small cracks in its authority could quickly spiral out of control. In the first six months of 2009, an average of 221,000 Chinese a day started using the internet for the first time, or 153 new users a minute.
The authorities are also hoping to tackle the growing number of Chinese hackers and fraudsters who use the internet to spread viruses and steal personal information.
The government has tightened regulations for websites, forcing owners to prove their identity before being allowed to register a name.
The ministry said it would “strengthen punishment for internet operators that violate the laws and regulations” in the coming year and “severely punish operations that have serious problems with harmful information”.
“Purifying the internet environment and cracking down on internet crimes is related to long-term state security,” the ministry said.
In December, the government offered a reward of up to 10,000 yuan (£906) to people who reported websites that feature pornography.
The government attempted last year to coerce computer manufacturers into only selling computers which had a censorship program called Green Dam Youth Escort already installed. The move was eventually defeated.
I can imagine their definition of pornography.
There’s a website where you submit a website and see if it’s banned there. Like–my blog on xanga came up banned–ha-
http://greatfirewallofchina.org/
I was going to test Aftermath News, but the website claimed due to tightening restrictions–they can’t reliably test things at present.
The Politburo is less worried about porn than they are about criticism of the Communist Party or talk of “freedom” and “democracy”. It seems the Great Firewall is all about the latter, but using porn as the official excuse for cracking down on internet use. They probably arrest or at least harass a lot more than 5000 a year over political statements in forums and blogs, but it wouldn’t be helpful for them to reveal those numbers to the world. Revealing that they arrest people for porn is seen as an image boost to prove how “moral” they are.
So–when the future world is “comfortably merged,” will King William be revealed to be a Chinese Royal descendent–and–Jesus Mahdi?
At which point all shout Huzzah! Huzzah! And sacrifice all first and last born to save the planet?
I mean a ruling poltiburo is so yesterday–need a flashy God King. For control image focus.
Maybe Sun Myung Moon:
“….sent to Earth . . . to save the world’s six billion people…. Emperors, kings and presidents . . . have declared to all Heaven and Earth that Reverend Sun Myung Moon is none other than humanity’s Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon
Seems to have all the necessary qualifications for the job of world kingship. At least he can hope.
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