China shuts down 50 more sites during internet crackdown (CBC)

[Drew Wilson]

Continuing a campaign to filter out pornography and lewd content, China shut down 50 websites over the weekend, state-run media reported Sunday.

The number of sites blocked and shut down by the crackdown, which began Thursday, now stands at 91. Chinese authorities are vowing to step up the campaign against pornography in the coming days, reported the Xinhua news agency.

Other sites have also been targeted in the campaign — including www.bullog.cn, a blog hosting site popular with activists. It was shut down Friday, but it is not known whether the move is permanent. The site, home to some outspoken social and political commentary, was closed temporarily last year during a key Communist Party congress after criticism of the meeting was posted.

The closing of the sites is part of a month-long campaign to "purify" the internet, said the Xinhua report. During the campaign, authorities have criticized sites like Google, MSN China and Baidu for allegedly linking to vulgar content.

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When any "Western" country or European country does it, it's nicely hush hush or simply to fight the evil interwebs. When China does it, it's shocking and gets put on mainstream coverage because it's so "out of the ordinary" that the evil Chinese would even think of such a dastardly deed. Go f**king figure.

[SteveKiel]

I understand how they could do that, but I don't really see the point. I mean, people have morals and will choose what to do as right and wrong, but can they not use their internet to get to a pornographic site based in the US or elsewhere? Or does their internet work to block that wide of a variety? It just seems impossible it do so much against it, why bother. It's not piracy or anything illegal, just maybe not as morally sound as the world used to be.