China is moving to rein in Web sites it deems inappropriate. The Communist nation has targeted Google and Baidu, the two dominant search engines there. The charge is spreading ****ography and vulgarity.
China's Ministry of Public Security and six other government agencies launched the campaign on Monday.
The government "decided to launch a nationwide campaign to clean up a vulgar current on the Internet and named and exposed a large number of violating public morality and harming the physical and mental health of youth and young people," said a report on state television.
Low-Class, Crude and Damaging
China's government identified 19 Internet operators and Web sites that had not made moves to remove "vulgar" content. These operators and Web sites also allegedly failed to heed warnings from censors, according to the television report.
"Some Web sites have exploited loopholes in laws and regulations," said Cai Mingzhao, a deputy chief of the State Council Information Office. "They have used all kinds of ways to distribute content that is low-class, crude and even vulgar, gravely damaging mores on the Internet."
Repeat violators, as well as those that have a "malign influence," might be exposed, punished or even shut down, according to China.com.cn, one of the nation's official news Web sites. On Monday, the Financial Times reported that the Chinese government is arming censors with more advanced filtering software to catch the banned content.
Same Old Threats
According to Leslie Harris, CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, China is trying to flex its muscles. However, she said, if China is seriously concerned about vulgar content -- and if it is illegal -- then the government ought to take its complaint to Internet service providers.
"This is just a threat, and I think it's the same old-same old dressed up in rhetoric that is more internationally acceptable," Harris said....

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