GAPP cracks down on porn, violent online games
- Source: Global Times
- [03:49 December 16 2009]
- Comments
By Zhang Lei
The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) vows to crack down on those who promote the use of unlicensed, imported Internet games that contain pornography, violence and harmful information.
"We will clean up all unauthorized imported games, and games published without permission to ensure the entire games market healthy and in order," Liu Binjie, chief of GAPP, told CCTV on Sunday.
So far this year, the Ministry of Culture's (MOC) market enforcement agencies examined more than 5,000 online games, investigated and punished 204 illegal games, and installed Web content filters on more than 10 million computer terminals in Internet cafés.
"We called on all local departments to strengthen monitoring content and operation of online games, cutting unhealthy stuff leading to addiction and gambling from the source," Ouyang Jian, deputy chief of MOC, told CCTV.
GAPP will suspend illegal operators and impose hefty fines, CCTV said without elaborating.
Insiders say it is a sign that GAPP will soon officially take punitive measures against NetEase for running World of Warcraft (WOW) without permission.
Wang Bin, an analyst in the consumer electronics industry, told the Global Times Tuesday that it is hard to say if NetEase would be fined because there isn't a way to determine whether GAPP has authority over the issue.
"It lies within the GAPP's authority to deem that WOW's operation is against the law and a punishment is pending," the Beijing Youth Daily quoted an unidentified employee at the GAPP as saying last month.
There has been a dispute between GAPP and MOC over the operation of World of Warcraft because MOC was given the pass early in July, but GAPP delayed the permit for the game over "unhealthy content."
