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(Bloomberg) – Chinese internet regulators have fined tech companies, including Tencent Holdings Ltd. and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., for disseminating sexual content involving children.
Kuaishou Technology, Tencent QQ, Alibaba Taobao, Weibo Corp. and Little Red Book were ordered to delete the offending accounts and pay fines of an unspecified amount, China’s Cyberspace Administration said in a statement on Tuesday. The sanctions were imposed as part of a campaign to combat online content deemed “harmful to the physical and mental well-being of minors”.
The agency “will strengthen enforcement of laws and regulations and punish those who break the rules,” the CAC said in the statement. “There will be a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to issues that harm minors. “
In recent months, social media users and state media have called out e-commerce platforms where sellers use suggestive photos of child models to sell products as well as manipulated gifs and videos that exploit minors. The cyberspace regulator also plans to tackle the live streaming of minors, the quality of online education platforms, violent and sexually explicit entertainment, online communities and celebrity fan clubs as part of the campaign. his campaign, the statement added.
Read: Xi breeds dark China’s watchdog to take on Didi, Big Tech
The crackdown adds to the pressure on China’s internet industry, which is already under scrutiny on issues ranging from antitrust to data security. The CAC rose to prominence this month after announcing an investigation into Didi Global Inc. and unveiling rules that will require any company seeking to go public in a foreign country to seek approval.
Kuaishou sank as much as 3.2% following the CAC statement. Tencent shares fell nearly 2% while Alibaba slipped 0.6% in afternoon trading.
Global tech companies have also taken action to tackle the exploitation of children. Facebook Inc. announced new tools in February to prevent users from sharing content that victimizes children.
(Updates with stock performance in the sixth paragraph.)
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