China punishes websites in online porn crackdown

BEIJING - In their latest crackdown, Chinese authorities have punished three well-known news portals including Netease and Phoenix for displaying pornographic content.

The three were given administrative punishments, including fines and suspension of the channels involved to "rectify" violations, the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications said in a statement Thursday.

The crackdown, which runs from August to the end of September, aims to clean up "harmful" information online, targeting Weibo, WeChat, search engines, mobile apps and websites that circulate pornographic content, it said.

Online advertisements and games that contain objectionable content will also be punished, according to the statement.

The nationwide campaign was launched by the anti-pornography office in collaboration with the departments of public security, culture, cyberspace administration and others.