Text message service cut off for 'bad' words

Cell phone users in Beijing and Shanghai will not be able to send text messages if they are found to have sent "illegal or unhealthy" content.

China Mobile's Shanghai branch yesterday said offenders will be suspended from using their text messaging service, but it denied earlier media reports that the phone numbers of the offenders would be revoked.

A customer service woman of China Mobile's Shanghai branch reached by China Daily yesterday said the suspension would only occur when the operator's system has automatically detected that the user has sent, or is sending, "a large amount" of illegal information; or if the operator receives complaints from other users.