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China's Web policing nets 600 criminal gangs

Country's efforts to clamp down on Web-related criminal activities has resulted in more than 10,000 suspects arrested and 30 ISPs censured for allowing access to unlicensed Web sites so far .
Written by Ellyne Phneah, Contributor

Chinese authorities has busted more than 600 criminal gangs for Internet-related crimes since a campaign was launched in March.

According to a statement released Wednesday by the country's Ministry of Public Security, the campaign had "achieved remarkable results" with more than 10,000 suspects arrested and 3.2 million "harmful" online messages deleted. Some 62 Web sites and online forums have been told to remove inappropriate content, while 30 Internet service providers (ISPs) were punished for granting network access to unlicensed Web sites, it added. 

Major crimes uncovered during the crackdown include the spreading of pornography, guns trading, counterfeiting of certificates, and illegally collecting and selling of citizens' information, the statement noted.

The ongoing campaign also saw the Chinese police in Jieyang take down a group of hackers allegedly responsible for breaching 185 government sites on Thursday. They were said to be part of a network of certificate forgers and personal data collectors selling fake certificates.

Combating cybercrime is a "long and arduous task", the ministry stated, but it will continue to increase efforts to "maintain public order, protect the legitimate rights and interest of the masses, and promote healthy and orderly development of the Internet".

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