China closes 1.8 million networking accounts in porn crackdown

62 people detained for using social networking services to organise prostitution or spread pornographic content

Beijing: China has closed nearly 1.8 million social networking and instant messaging accounts since April, when it launched a campaign to purge the internet of obscene content.

The accounts including WeChat and QQ accounts, were used to release porn information. Representational picture

The Cyberspace Administration of China, formerly known as the State Internet Information Office closed microblog, WeChat and QQ accounts, a statement said on Friday. These accounts were used to release porn information and invite people to solicit prostitution, it added.

Earlier last week, China’s anti-pornography authorities said that 62 people were detained for using social networking services to organise prostitution or spread pornographic content.

Many of these accounts were shut down by internet companies such as Sina and Tencent after an internal “self-check”, and many were reported by the public. The office also organised special inspections, the statement said.

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