Sina.com will be stripped of its online publication license after being found to be hosting pornographic material, according to a statement from the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications.
Twenty e-books and four audio-visual programmes on the internet giant's website were confirmed to have contained pornographic content following "a huge amount" of public tip-offs. The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television will revoke Sina’s Internet Publication Permit and Online Audio-Video Programme Licence in response, banning the website from providing e-books, audio and video content to its 230 million registered users.
"As a major web portal, Sina.com has a huge number of young users. It should have shouldered its responsibility in protecting minors. However, the website ignored the bottom line of the law,... leading to serious harm and resulting in an offense of a grave nature," the statement read. Sina had already received punishments twice last year for publishing material with prohibited content.
The online company promised to obey the imposed regulations and cooperate with authorities in a Weibo statement released Thursday night. Sina also apologised to users for failing to properly monitor its content.
The company will face fines of up to 10 times the profit gained from the smut alongside the license removals. Individuals have been detained in police custody though it is "not immediately clear" what charges they face or whether they are employees or website users, according to SCMP.
The news follows a concerted crackdown on internet content, in a bid to clean up China's web and maintain tighten control over online material. Internet police have shut down at least 110 websites and 3,300 pornography-related accounts in the two weeks since the crackdown on online obscenity was launched.
While the ban on Sina will not affect its news service or mean losing too many users because of sheer volume, experts warn of chilling effects on other websites. Hu Yong, associate professor at Peking University’s School of Journalism and Communication, said, “the official notice to punish Sina.com certainly has an impact. It will frighten other websites about their own content generation".
“Chinese government has a tradition to use special operations to inspect Internet, but the true purpose is usually hidden. The tension between government regulations and Internet operations will continue," Hu added.
The China National Internet Information Office has promised to maintain a relentless crackdown on online smut and hand out suitable punishments to offenders, including fines, license removals and criminal charges.
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