10 detained in online porn crackdown

GUANGZHOU, Aug. 15  — More than 210 suspects have been detained in an operation targeting online porn in south China’s Guangdong Province, local police said Wednesday.
In a coordinated operation carried out in 10 cities in Guangdong, police officers closed down more than 650 online platforms involved in pornography and froze over 20 million yuan (2.9 million U.S. dollars), according to Guangdong police department.
Police said the suspects used social media networks such as QQ, WeChat and Momo to spread online links that could access pornography or erotic live shows. They often attracted users with free porn and then lured them to pay for more erotic content.
The suspects were mostly members of 11 gangs based in cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen as well as in several southeast Asian countries. Operational staff usually numbered dozens for each group.
An official with the cyber arm of Guangdong police vowed to maintain an iron hand against online pornography and make efforts to clean up cyberspace. – XINHUA