China shuts down 50 more sites during internet crackdown

Continuing a campaign to filter out pornography and lewd content, China shut down 50 websites over the weekend, state-run media reported Sunday.

The number of sites blocked and shut down by the crackdown, which began Thursday, now stands at 91. Chinese authorities are vowing to step up the campaign against pornography in the coming days, reported the Xinhua news agency.

Other sites have also been targeted in the campaign — including www.bullog.cn, a blog hosting site popular with activists. It was shut down Friday, but it is not known whether the move is permanent. The site, home to some outspoken social and political commentary, was closed temporarily last year during a key Communist Party congress after criticism of the meeting was posted.

The closing of the sites is part of a month-long campaign to "purify" the internet, said the Xinhua report. During the campaign, authorities have criticized sites like Google, MSN China and Baidu for allegedly linking to vulgar content.

Pornography, while banned in China, remains widely available on and off the internet. Popular Chinese web portals frequently show sexually explicit pictures and provide links to pornographic websites.

China has the world's largest population of internet users with more than 250 million. The Chinese government blocks access to many websites it considers subversive or too political, and internet companies regularly self-censor to keep from running afoul of the authorities.