China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has targeted sites that use Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP. Any user who has surfed the web on a mobile device should be familiar with WAP, which streamlines standard websites for easier delivery through mobile browsers.
An official with the MPS said that efforts to block such sites will last through the end of 2009 because of the long, complex chain of connections that lead overseas from such sites.
In the meantime, the ministry will concentrate its efforts on the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Anhui. According to the ministry, many WAP sites are registered in those cities.
But are they offending sites? The Chinese government said yes. Its whistleblowing office, the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center, said that reports of adult WAP sites have been on the rise.
The arrests are already starting to roll in. According to online reports, Chinese officials have detained more than 1,100 people, all while shutting down almost 7,000 websites. Of that number, only 586 are confirmed adult sites.
In August, Apple signed a multiyear deal with Chinese wireless carrier Unicom to sell the iPhone in the fourth quarter of 2009. Unicom is a state-owned company that boasts 650 million mobile phone accounts.