Crackdown on wild plant thieves sees 3,000 videos removed from internet

More than 3,000 videos related to the illegal harvesting or sale of endangered species of wild plants have been removed from the internet during a nationwide crackdown led by China’s top cyberspace watchdog.

Online livestreaming platforms were found to be spreading information about people stealing, illegally harvesting or selling precious wild plants, prompting the Cyberspace Administration of China to launch a campaign targeting such broadcasts recently. Websites were ordered to clean up improper content, the administration said in a statement issued on Monday.

More than 400 problematic products have also been removed from online marketplaces, it said.

"We’ll organize cyberspace branches across the country to work with relevant local departments to crack down on improper information about wild plants and strengthen punishments for websites, online accounts or platforms with serious problems," an administration official said in the statement.

The progress of the crackdown and any punishments meted out will be disclosed in a timely manner, the official added, saying members of the public were welcome to report breaches and join the authority in building a clean online environment.