BEIJING (Reuters) - China has called on domestic Web sites to sign a voluntary pact governing online video and audio content, saying they should exercise self-censorship to ensure a "healthy and orderly" cyberspace.
The move is part of government efforts to exert greater control over China's rapidly growing Internet sector, and to prevent content deemed harmful or subversive from getting into the public domain.
Eight "central" Web sites on Friday signed the pact requiring them to eradicate pornography and violence, which had "seriously polluted the online environment and affected the growth of young people", the national broadcast watchdog said.
"The signatories should actively disseminate healthy, beneficial audio-visual programs meeting socialist moral norms," reads the text of the pact drafted by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television....