Internet video player firm punished for porn offense

Another popular Internet firm in China is set to be punished for allegedly spreading pornography following a similar case involving Sina.com last month.

Qvod Technology Co., Ltd., a Shenzhen-based Internet video player service provider, has been found spreading lewd and pornographic content, according to a National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications (NOAPIP) statement.

The Guangdong provincial telecommunication administration has sent a notification to the firm, saying that it will strip its license regarding paid for telecommunication services.

In the meantime, the police have launched an investigation, with several suspects being arrested.

The statement said police and publication departments in Beijing found more than 3,000 porn video clips on four servers confiscated from Qvod.com at the end of 2013. Authorities also found a large amount of porn video clips on Qvod.com and its applications in March.

With the Qvod video player and online video playing service, the company gained much popularity. However, "it did not check the safety of content, providing a platform and channel for the spreading of pornographic and other illegal content, seriously harming the mental and physical health of minors. It must therefore be punished severely," the statement said.

Qvod.com is another popular Internet service provider that has been punished for porn-related violations amid the country's "Cleaning the Web 2014" campaign.

In April, Sina.com was stripped of its online publication license after the authorities found that articles and videos on its site contained lewd and pornographic content.

The statement said 20 cases have been published since the campaign was launched. The cases involved large companies, or had a serious and negative social impact.

"Public outrage cannot be appeased if cases are not properly handled," said the statement, quoting an unidentified official from the NOAPIP.

The campaign was launched in accordance with the legal interpretation made by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, which stipulates that telecom carriers, Internet access providers, advertisers and other operators who provide conditions for the spreading of porn content should hold administrative and criminal liability.

The official urged all websites, telecom carriers, Internet access providers and other Internet-based firms to strictly follow requirements, deleting online pornographic content and links and strengthen safety checks of content.

The official said the NOAPIP will strengthen its efforts against online porn content, and will launch a supervision movement later this month.

Hua Jingfeng, deputy director of security administration bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, said the police attach great importance to the "Cleaning the Web 2014" campaign.

Hua said the police will inform related departments to strengthen supervision, adding that only by strengthening routine supervision can it root out online pornography.