Chinese regulators have fined tech companies, including powerhouses Tencent and Alibaba, for distributing sexually suggestive images of children. The images should also be deleted.
It has not been disclosed how much the companies will have to pay.
In recent months, internet users and state media have already reported on web stores and online marketplaces where sellers use suggestive photos of children to sell their wares. They would also post gifs and videos of the minors.
In addition to Tencent and Alibaba, who had done too little with their services QQ and Taobao to counteract the behaviour, video service Kuaishou, messaging service Weibo and the Pinterest-like app Little Red Book were also fined.
The fines are part of tackling issues on the web that “damage the physical and mental well-being of minors,” the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said.
This is again putting pressure on the internet sector from Chinese regulators. Recently, this has already been tackled due to, among other things, competition violations and the handling of user data.