In a move that aims at tightening the Chinese government's grip on Web porn business, the website of the Ministry of Public Security recently revealed that the country's drive against porn will further intensify in 2010.

Noting that online pornography can be perilous medium for promoting ominous images and ideas, the Ministry's website, www. mps. gov. cn, mentions that the law enforcement authorities intend intensifying penalty against Internet operations that flout porn-related regulations. Already, over 9,000 porn sites have been closed in China; 5,394 people have been arrested; and 4,186 prosecuted.

Calling the onslaught against online porn part of the country's overall endeavors to safeguard "national long-term stability," the Ministry said that the effort will not only help build a "harmonious socialist society," but also prevent the "poisoning of young people's physical and mental health."

In the first stage of the three-branched strategy to fight online porn, China will clearout Internet pornography crimes, thereby targeting people working for international porn websites, mobile phone porn websites, and P2P networks.

The second prong of the strategy will deal with increasing the size of the Ministry's Internet security section that manages porn-related cases so that more incidents can be investigated; and the third aspect of the strategy will better inter-department communication so as to "strengthen cooperation" and "create a good network management order."