5,394 arrested for net porn

Throughout 2009 5,394 Chinese were arrested for publishing porn on the internet. And in recent months the Chinese government has run a highly publicized campaign against what officials said were smutty and lewd pictures overwhelming the country’s internet and threatening the emotional health of children.

 

One announcement on the Ministry of Public Security’s website said the drive would be extended in 2010.

 

 

The anti-pornography drive has also netted many sites with politically sensitive or even simply user-generated content, in what some see as an effort by the government to reassert control over new media.

Reuters reports that China has banned a number of popular websites and internet services, including Google’s Youtube, Twitter, Flickr and Facebook, as well as Chinese content sharing sites.