Stop the poison online

The National Office for the Fight Against Pornography and Illegal Publications said on Wednesday that a man surnamed Jiang had been detained by police in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, for making and selling obscene cartoons online.

Jiang might face criminal charges. According to a news release, Jiang's cartoons promote not just obscenity, but also inhuman practices such as infanticide. Some micro-bloggers complained that Jiang's cartoon strips showcased sex slaves, similar to the "comfort women" that the Japanese army forced many women to become before and during World War II, and promoted pedophilia and infanticide.

Jiang's cartoons violate the law against obscenity, belittle and offend women, and glorify the inhuman practices of a fascist regime. Jiang has been making and selling such cartoons since 2016 and he told the police that he has earned 1.2 million yuan ($183,734) through his cartoons.

Some micro-bloggers said he had half a million readers online. What is a matter of serious concern is that many of those readers could be youths, even minors, who cannot distinguish right from wrong and might end up committing the crimes Jiang's cartoons seem to promote.

While the authorities have put a lid on the kind of poison Jiang had been spreading by detaining him, there might be many others uploading similar content online. In June 2018, the police in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, cracked down on an illegal website containing over 100,000 obscene videos, and detained more than a 100 suspects. Similar cases are reported every year.

Especially, with the advent of short-video and livestreaming apps, obscene material has become more widespread. Reportedly, some livestreaming anchors expose their body parts before viewers online for a price. It is time internet regulatory authorities took legal action against such violations online.