Companies target illegal online info

More than 100 Internet companies in Beijing signed an agreement on Thursday to fight the distribution of illegal and improper information online, promising they will punish those spreading fake messages and accept public supervision.

The companies are required to set up 24-hour hotlines to deal with reports from residents, ensuring that problems can be addressed in a timely manner, according to China's Internet security watchdog.

Under the agreement, if the corporations are alerted to unverified rumors, to information involving terrorism or to the distribution of pornography, they will clean them out and punish the troublemakers, the State Internet Information Office said.