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China offers rewards for web porn advice
Cash for tips

By Jo Best

Published: Monday 11 October 2004

China is now attempting to drive pornographers from its virtual doors by encouraging its citizens to grass up those behind the smutty sites.

In return for pointing the finger, Chinese surfers can expect to be rewarded with the equivalent of up to 2000 yuan - around £135. So far the scheme has seen over 1,000 websites closed, according to China's official news agency Xinhua, and arrests have been made.

The majority of the site closures targeted overseas operations but a small number were located in China itself.

Last month, a student convicted of running a pornographic website was sentenced to five years prison. The country has a long history of harsh controls on its citizens' internet usage, including vetting video games to check content is not against the state's interest, brining all internet cafes under government control and choosing which news sources the Chinese can have access to.