Three months of renewed efforts by the Chinese police to crack down on online crime have resulted in 10,000 arrests and the breaking up of over 600 “criminal gangs,” state media has reported.
Xinhua made mention of a statement from the Ministry of Public Security announcing that the campaign, which began in March, had removed 3.2 million “harmful” messages online. It was not immediately clear, however, who the messages were harmful to, so it’s possible that the figure could include posts censored for being politically sensitive.
The ministry touted its success in shutting down criminals involved in pornography (which is illegal in the country), selling guns, surveillance devices and counterfeit certificates. Suspects were also discovered “illegally collecting and selling personal information,” according to the report.
Officials admitted that they still have progress to make and voiced commitment continue its campaign and increase penalties for criminals. The ministry also called on service providers to aid them in their efforts.
“Although illegal and harmful information on the Internet has been reduced sharply through intensified crackdowns, fraudulent messages are still seen occasionally… and some telecom service providers are not strict enough when managing websites,” the statement read.
Just last week, Xinhua reported that 31 suspects were arrested for allegedly running a Chinese pornography website that was hosted in the US. The site had attracted 10,000 daily visits and a total of 40,000 registered members before being shut down.
In 2010, Chinese police shut down 60,000 pornographic websites and arrested nearly 5,000 during a year-long campaign.’
Image via Flickr / chinesegary
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