BEIJING – Chinese authorities continue to crack down on Web content they consider offensive or inappropriate, in apparent hope sanitizing the internet will prevent corruption of Chinese society.On Tuesday, the General Administration of Press and Publication announced censors had expunged 1,414 literary works from the Chinese Web. The effort resulted in the removal of about 30,000 links to the banned works and the closure of 20 websites. The GAPP reported more than 50 experts scrutinized about 4,000 literary sites since January before issuing removal orders.
According to an official statement, the banned works “included pornographic content,” “used provocative or privacy violating titles to draw attention” or “blatantly talked about one-night stands, wife swapping, sex abuses and violence that disregarded common decency.” To prevent similar offenses in the future, the government has established regulations about what types of literature are prohibited online.
The literary cleansing is only the latest in a massive effort Chinese officials claim is designed to protect children and vulnerable others from the deleterious social effects of porn and violence. Critics accuse the government of limiting personal expression and exposure to world culture in order to control the population’s thoughts.
On Jan. 1, China’s Culture Ministry began a campaign to eradicate from the Web pornography and speech critical of official policy. Since then, dozens of people have been “detained” following accusations they were involved with the production or distribution of “inappropriate” material, both online and via mobile phones. At the time, observers said they believed the Web-sanitization efforts were preparation for presenting a positive image of the country’s culture during a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Communist rule. The celebration occurred earlier this month, but the cultural cleansing continues.
In late July, authorities imposed a ban on sex-related and medical research sites as well as video games that promote drug use, “obscenity,” gambling or crimes such as rape, vandalism and theft. In August, authorities embarked upon a campaign targeting foreign Web hosts, websites and payment processors who provide services to purveyors of banned materials. Google’s Chinese search engine was among the sites snared and then “strongly condemned” by the censors. It since has cleaned up enough to be allowed back on the Chinese Web.
