China Kills 9,300 Mobile Apps, Rips Into Tencent's News Service
- Watchdog berated Tencent for spreading vulgar, negative info
- Regulators shut 733 websites in latest stage of crackdown
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China is stepping up its efforts to rein in the country’s internet, singling out Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s popular news app for spreading vulgar information while shutting down more than 700 websites and thousands of apps in the span of just three weeks.
The Cyberspace Administration of China has scrubbed the web of more than 7 million items since Jan. 3, deleting more than 9,300 smartphone apps to screen out information deemed inappropriate or harmful, the watchdog said in a notice distributed to media. Tencent’s Tian Tian Kuai Bao, which means quick daily news, was singled out for spreading “vulgar and low-brow content that was harmful and damaging to the internet ecosystem” the agency said.