BEIJING – In a postscript to the nude celeb photo scandal that has rocked Hong Kong in recent weeks, Chinese internet authorities have asked the country’s leading search engine Baidu.com to make a public apology for spreading nude pics online which show star Edison Chen in flagrante with various starlets.
Chinese webizens thronged the websites to see the racy pics of Chen and several female stars. Such explicit pics are rare in China, where pornography is illegal.
The Beijing internet news information review council, which is part of the state-run Beijing Association of Online Media, issued a statement saying the Nasdaq-listed website had behaved badly during the scandal.
"We severely criticize Baidu's behavior," the org said. The council is made up of Communist Party cadres and various internet experts, and Baidu is one of 42 webcos which have agreed to follow its ruling.
The statement slammed Baiu for failing to block the photos on a number of its websites, even after others had moved to block the pics.
The statement praised other big Chinese sites, including Sohu.com, Sina.com and Netease, as they called for webizens "not to download, save and spread the photos" and "to prevent the photos from falling into the hands of children".
"They have shown their conscience and responsibility," it said, calling on all Chinese websites not to spread smut as part of efforts to create "a clean, healthy, and civilized Internet environment."
There has been a widespread clampdown on smut on the internet in China, part of a broader crackdown on immorality and dissent ahead of the Olympics.
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