Chinese Government Launches New Internet Porn Crackdown
Fans of internet porn in China, be warned: your days may be numbered. Yesterday, the government announced a new internet crackdown campaign that is to be a cooperative project of nine different government departments and will last from March through the end of August. The crackdown will focus on pornographic content on the internet, including mobile sites, as well as other forms of “vulgar information,” whatever that means. (Note: it means politically “sensitive” content).
中国のインターネットポルノコンテンツのファンは、要注意:残された日々はわずかかもしれない。昨日、政府は、新たなインターネット取り締まりキャンペーンが9つの異なる政府部門によって掲げられた協同プロジェクトであり、このキャンペーンが3月から8月末にかけて行われるとの発表を行った。この取り締まりでは、インターネット上のポルノコンテンツに焦点を置き、これにはモバイルサイトや、その他(これがどういう意味であれ)「俗悪な情報」をも含むとしている(注:これは、政治的に「影響を受けやすい」コンテンツを指す)。
Crackdowns like this are launched with some frequency, but the specific mention of mobile networks is interesting. In the past, the primary focus of these crackdowns has been “regular” internet sites, and mobile porn peddlers have in some cases been able to slip through the cracks. This campaign is the latest indication that smartphone smut fans are increasingly in the line of fire.
The crackdown will also affect social media sites, and its mandate specifically tasks it with — among other things — closing down illegal websites. But in practice, it’s unlikely that most users will even notice the campaign is happening, and the chances of a major social networking site being closed as a result of it are very, very slim.