China closes 91 websites in crackdown

China has shut down 91 websites for pornographic and other “vulgar” content, as well as a political blog portal, since announcing its latest bid to ensure Internet morality, state media said on Monday.

China’s ruling Communist Party is wary of threats to its grip on information and has conducted numerous censorship efforts targeting pornography, political criticism and Web scams, but officials flagged tougher steps this time.

“Ninety-one websites that included pornography and vulgar content had been closed down from January 8 to 10,” the state-run Web portal China (www.china.com.cn) said.

Bullog.cn, a Chinese blog portal with many famous bloggers, including some signatories of the pro-democracy “08 Charter,” has been inaccessible since Friday.

Read More on Reuters by Yu Le; Editing by Nick Macfie and Sanjeev Miglani