China launches crackdown on online porn

BEIJING - China will launch a renewed campaign against the spread of pornography on the Internet, the national anti-porn agency announced on Sunday.

The campaign, Cleaning the Web 2014, will conduct thorough checkups on websites, search engines and mobile application stores, Internet TV USB sticks, and set-top boxes, the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications said in a circular.

The office is one of four government agencies, including the State Internet Information Office, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Public Security, involved in the campaign, which will last from until November.

All online texts, pictures, videos and advertisements with pornographic content will be deleted, according to the circular.

Websites, web channels and columns will be shut down or have their administrative license revoked if they are found to produce or spread pornographic information, it said.

Websites, telecom operators and web portals were asked to conduct a self-examination instantly and clean up information and links.

"Porn has does great harm to minors and the social ethos," the circular said.

The campaign is in response to the persistent spread of pornography online despite multiple previous campaigns.