Websites shut over illegal PR deals

BEIJING - China's telecommunications authorities have shut down 6,600 websites nationwide over illegal public relations (PR) deals as part of a special campaign that began in April, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

Most of the websites involved illegal groups that claimed to specialize in deleting online news stories and critical postings or hiring other netizens to disseminate selected data or opinions on the Internet.

Also during the campaign, industry and commerce departments across the country cracked 150 cases of illegal online PR deals and confiscated more than 1.13 million yuan ($176,500), with a focus on online advertisements, forums and bulletin board systems.