China's Internet watchdog on Friday ordered iFeng.com, one of the biggest web portals, to correct its practices after netizens complained the website has published pornography and harmful political information.
In a statement posted on its own website, the Cyber Space Administration of China (CAC) said a total of 1,330 complaints had been filed against iFeng.com this year. Among them, 38.1 percent were related to pornography, 16 percent were political while 1.5 percent were about terrorism.
An affiliated unit under Hong Kong-listed Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd., the web portal was also accused of "illegally publishing news and scrambling to release untrue breaking news."
If the website can not rectify its problems, its certification to provide online news services could be revoked, CAC said.
According to the statement, iFeng.com said it would correct its practices, strive to spread positive energy and become a responsible web media outlet.
Calling in Internet firms' executives to urge them rectify problems has become the norm for the regulator to manage the Internet. Last month, the regulator reprimanded Sina and Tencent for their failure to prevent a sex video taken in a Uniqlo Beijing store fitting room from going viral online.
