In an attempt to "purify the Internet's cultural environment and protect the healthy development of minors," Chinese authorities have started a campaign to rid the Internet of what they deem to be unhealthy content. The crackdown primarily focuses on online pornography, and officials have said that China believes it has a duty to protect public morality.
The officials have also published a list of 19 websites that have failed to remove questionable material.
Among the websites are Google and China's top search-engine Baidu. The authorities noted that both Google and Baidu have failed to take "efficient" actions after being asked to remove content from their results.
The Associated Press reports that seven government agencies are working together on the campaign. A statement released by the Chinese government said that violators will be punished, but did not give any specifics as to how the top search-engines could face penalty.
"If we find any violation, we will take action. So far, I haven't seen any examples of violations," said a Google representative in China, who noted that the site does not have any pornographic content. Baidu has not yet released a statement.
China's rapidly growing Internet population was thought to have reached 137 million in 2007 and continues to grow. In the same year, Chinese Communist Party Chief Hu Jintao announced his vow to "purify" the Internet.
China has a long history of Internet censorship, with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security holding very strict control over what Chinese citizens can access online. Censored websites include those that belong to outlawed groups, sites with pro-democratic content and sites that are deemed "subversive" - including the BBC website.
In August 2007, police in China created cartoon depictions of the Chinese Internet police that are displayed to users every 30 minutes as they browse online. The cartoons are meant to remind users to avoid any illegal online content
