Crackdown on online nude shows nets 216 By Ma Chenguang (China Daily) Updated: 2005-10-28 05:41
Nude shows transmitted through online chat rooms are the latest target of a
police crackdown and cases have been filed against 216 people in 94 incidents.
China has launched a crackdown on nude online
chats. [file] | The suspects face criminal charges of "arranging pornographic performances,"
Xu Jianzhuo, an official handling web security at the Ministry of Public
Security (MPS), said yesterday.
Two major targets of the campaign launched by the MPS, the State Council
Information Office and the Ministry of Information Industry are online nude
shows and pornographic websites, said Xu, deputy division chief at the
ministry's Public Information and Web Security Supervision Bureau.
Xu said illegal content providers mainly use two pornographic forms to
attract netizens for quick profits: Arranging for performers to provide online
nude shows; and luring Net surfers to engage in interactive nude performances.
Cyber visitors easily fall prey to porn sites, X-rated chat rooms or other
sexual materials online, he said.
"Our chief concern this time is online pornographic performance organizers
and performers," Xu said, adding the public gave 1,568 tip-offs in the last
month, which resulted in a perceptible decline in the number of such sites.
Xu revealed some of the cases police busted during a talk show broadcast live
on Xinhua News Agency's website:
One website in Hengshui in North China's Hebei Province provided nude shows
daily since August 24 with 40 performers and organizers from 17 provinces.
Eight suspects have been arrested so far, Xu revealed.
Also in Hebei, a 16-year-old performed in a nude show.
In Beijing, a 16-year-old participated in nude acts and was also an
organizer.
Han Yusheng, head of the Criminal Law Teaching and Research Section of the
Renmin University of China, said in the same broadcast that online nude shows
which are proliferating at an alarming rate can have a catastrophic social
effect if uncurbed.
For example, he said, increased online pornography exposure can have an
adverse effect on children's studies and even lead them to crime.
Net surfer Hong Xiu commended the crackdown. "I fully support the special
campaign, which will be a strong deterrent on offenders."
According to July figures from the China Internet Network Information Centre,
the number of Chinese netizens has hit 103 million 8 per cent of the nation's
total population using 45.6 million Internet-equipped computers. Among them,
15.8 per cent are minors while 55.1 per cent are in the 18-30 age range.
(China Daily 10/28/2005 page1)
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