China will license no new Internet cafes this year while regulators carry out an industry-wide inspection, the government says, amid official concern that online material is harming young people.
Investigators will look into whether Internet cafes are improperly renting out their licenses or failing to register the identities of their customers.
The communist government encourages Web use for business and education but authorities are worried that it gives children access to violent games, sexually explicit material and gambling Web sites.
Photo: AP
President Hu Jintao has ordered Chinese authorities to clean up "Internet culture," and the government launched a crackdown in April on online pornography.
A report in April by the Beijing Reformatory for Juvenile Delinquents said 33.5 percent of its detainees were influenced by violent online games or erotic Web sites when they committed crimes such as robbery and rape.
In March, the government launched a crackdown on the transfer of Internet licenses after it said some holders, including schools, were improperly renting or selling them.
A Culture Ministry official was quoted at that time as saying China's approximately 120,000 Internet cafes was adequate to meet the needs of the market and no more were needed.
China has the world's second-largest population of Internet users, with 137 million people online, and is on track to surpass the United States as the largest online population in two years.
The government tries to block access to online material deemed obscene or subversive.
Internet cafes are hugely popular with customers who spend hours playing online games that link multiple competitors.
Internet cafes are supposed to limit the number of hours that minors are online. (AP)
中國政府表示，由於政府擔心網路內容戕害年輕人，今年將不再發放執照給新網咖，同時執法人員也對業者進行全面檢查。（註︰中國多稱網咖為「網吧」。）
檢察人員將檢驗網咖是否不當出租執照，或未善盡登記顧客身分的職責。
中國政府對商業或教育之用的網路用途多所鼓勵，但也憂心會讓孩童輕易接觸暴力電玩、色情和博奕網站。
中國國家主席胡錦濤已下令中國政府整肅「網路文化」，政府也於四月開始掃蕩網路色情。
北京市少管所四月的報告指出，33.5% 犯下搶劫和強暴案的受管訓者，是受到暴力線上遊戲或色情網站影響。
中國政府認為包括學校在內的部分取得執照者不當出租或販售網路執照，遂於三月開始取締網路執照轉移的情況。
當時中國文化部一名官員指出，中國的十二萬家網咖已足以應付市場需求，無須再增加。
中國擁有全球第二大的網路使用人口，有一億三千七百萬人上網，可望在兩年內超越美國成為全球上網人口最多的國家。
中國政府打算封鎖網路色情暴力內容的途徑。
對於喜歡耗上數小時與多位競爭者打線上遊戲的消費者來說，網咖大受歡迎。
網咖應該限制未成年青少年的上網時間。 （美聯社/翻譯︰賴美君）
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