China closes 31 websites for blackmail, fraud

China's Internet regulator on Wednesday issued a list of 31 websites that had been shut down for illegal acts, such as blackmail and profiting from deleting posts.

An unnamed Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) official said the websites were linked to serious violations, such as a lack of registration procedures and extortion.

Some of the websites masqueraded as authorities and web portals to facilitate their illegal acts, the official said.

The special campaign against online blackmail started on Jan. 21. This is the second batch of websites closed as a result of the campaign.

The official gave credit to informers and called on more of the public to help the campaign.