Chinese police have shut down a Web
site selling real-time porn and arrested 33 people, state media
in Beijing said on Wednesday, part of a campaign which led to the
shut-down of 44,000 Web sites and arrest of 868 people last
year.
China launched a crackdown on online pornography and
"unhealthy" Web content after Chinese President Hu Jintao said
the country's sprawling Internet posed a threat to social
stability.
The live site, whose server was based in Taiwan, charged
viewers to watch strip shows or other pornographic performances
that were staged in China, Xinhua news agency said.
"This operation started up in the second half of 2006 and
took in more than 1 million yuan ($137,000) in just three
months," it said.
The site was said to have been the most widely visited
pornographic site among those that were busted as part of last
year's clean-up, Xinhua said.
Chinese authorities shut down 44,000 domestic Web sites and
home pages and arrested 868 people while investigating 524
criminal cases during the campaign.
The campaign will continue until September, after the close
of the Beijing Olympics.
Rights groups have said the campaign has been used as a
thinly veiled pretext to crack down on dissent and round up
online dissidents ahead of the Olympics.
China has attempted to stifle online criticism of the
ruling Communist Party and discussion related to sensitive
topics such as Tibet and Taiwan by ordering Web sites to
register with authorities.
China employs tens of thousands of human Internet censors
and a vast network of filters to control online information.
China last month said it would crack down on video-sharing
Web sites, and allow only state-controlled sites to post video
content online in new restrictions effective from January 31.