China launches crackdown on illegal external links online

BEIJING, April 28 -- The Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission on Sunday said it had launched a two-month nationwide campaign to remove and ban illegal external links on social networks and other online platforms.

According to the office, the campaign will target users who include illegal external links in their usernames, profile pictures, or account pages on online platforms, as well as people who post such links in the comment section.

It will also target illegal external links leading to pornographic or fraudulent content posted in WeChat group chats or through Moments (a WeChat social networking function that allows users to post images and texts).

The campaign will examine external links on live-streaming platforms, dating sites, online map services, web browsers, and e-commerce platforms to crack down on illegal links that beguile users into accessing pornographic content, sexual services, scams, or gambling, according to the office.