China tightens control over internet

Introducing tighter controls on the internet, China has legalised the deletion of posts or pages deemed to contain "illegal" information. Under the new regulations, service providers would also need to hand over such information to the authorities to take necessary steps.

The rules point to the continued muzzling of the online chatter that is often severely critical of the establishment, in a country where the internet offers a rare opportunity for debate.

Under the new regulations, announced by the official Xinhua news agency, internet users would also need to register with their real names when signing up with network providers, though, in reality, this already happens.

Chinese authorities as also internet companies such as Sina Corp have been closely monitoring and censoring what people had to say online, but the government has now put measures such as deleting posts into law.

"Service providers are required to instantly stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records, before reporting to supervisory authorities," the rules state.

The restrictions come after several corruption scandals amongst lower-level officials were bared by internet users, something the government had said it was trying to encourage.