China to Check Text Messages for ‘Unhealthy’ Content

Jan. 20 – Mobile companies in major Chinese cities Beijing and Shanghai will soon begin scanning text messages for “illegal or unhealthy” content.

Text messages will be checked for illegal key words based on a list provided by authorities as part of an a extensive government campaign to tighten control on the internet and other forms of communication.

Mobile numbers found sending illegal information will have their text messaging service temporarily suspended and their violation reported to the police. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecommunications have all agree to follow government regulations on the matter.

The industry’s biggest player is China Mobile commanding a subscriber base of 518.1 million or more than 70 percent of all users in the country as of last year.

A member of the Beijing Bar Association, Chen Tao, told the Global Times the policy is illegal: “Suspending the message function or cutting off a subscriber to the network lacks legal basis.”

He said: “There is no regulation that allows the mobile phone operators to suspend functions.”

A text message will be screened for ‘illegal’ content based on 13 definitions issued by seven ministries last year which includes, “direct exposure of sexual organs and descriptions that could lead to indecent or sexual thoughts.”

This is the latest of government efforts to control content in the internet. In 2009, more than 15,000 pornographic websites, including thousands of mobile WAP sites were either blocked or shut down all together.
Beijing has also launched a new round of campaigns aimed at cracking down online pornographic content.