Baidu censured by online watchdog for sex photos

China’s leading internet search engine, Baidu.com, has been censured by a government-sponsored watchdog for allegedly aiding the spread of sexually explicit photos of Hong Kong celebrities, the AP reported. The photos, which feature Hong Kong pop star Edison Chen and other well-known singers, have been widely circulated in Hong Kong and now the Beijing Association of Online Media has said in a statement on its website that Baidu has helped spread the photos on the mainland. The association has demanded an apology from Baidu and commended other websites such as Sina.com for urging users to not spread the photos. Pornography is banned in China and the central government recently released new rules giving it more control over internet videos and video-sharing websites.