Web promotion of prostitution to be targeted

The police will set up a special task force to investigate and squelch the online promotion of prostitution, which has been expanding via social media in the Pearl River Delta cities of Guangdong province.

"After great efforts by law enforcement bodies to fight prostitution in local entertainment venues in past months, many organizers and operators now publish advertisements in QQ chat rooms, on WeChat, through mobile phone message texts and other instant messaging services," said Peng Hui, deputy director-general of the Guangdong Department of Public Security.

The new digital methods being used to lure customers in the prosperous province have "created many difficulties for the police", Peng said at a news conference in Guangzhou on Thursday. "Therefore, effective and concrete measures should soon be taken to fight this sort of crime."