BEIJING—Referring to those who utilize fast 3G networks to access adult content as “lawless people,” an official in China’s IT ministry said that a cleanup of the mobile web is necessary to "protect the healthy growth of the next generation and purify the social environment."
Earlier this year, China issued 3G mobile network licenses to three mobile carriers. Since then, the number of 3G users in China has slowly climbed, as have the number of mobile sites and applications offering adult content. The increased shift in focus to mobile websites comes after the government closed thousands of internet websites and arrested dozens of people in a campaign against online pornography.
The current situation highlights a growing problem for China, which wants to be a leader in global technology while also controlling the type of content available to its citizens. A de facto stand-off currently exists between adult mobile website operators and the government.
Su Jinsheng, the IT ministry spokesperson, said the government is countering tactics by adult operators such as frequently switching domain names and IP addresses by blacklisting porn sites and working to improve filtering technology to help network operators block adult content, which is illegal in China.
According to China View, “Latest statistics showed 1,179 people have been detained and 6,972 websites and online columns have been shut down. Among them, 586 were porn mobile WAP sites and columns.”
