China arrests thousands in latest internet crime crackdown

The arrests follow other efforts to prevent users posting
"false rumours" on Chinese micro-blogs 

More than 10,000 suspects have been arrested and 600 criminal gangs "busted" in China's latest cybercrime crackdown, the authorities say.

As of June, 3.2 million "harmful" messages had been deleted and 30 internet service providers punished for granting access to unlicensed sites, the Ministry of Public Security said.

The crackdown targeted pornography and the illegal sale of personal details.

But some say it is being used to censor online criticism of the government.

"Although illegal and harmful information on the internet has been sharply reduced through intensified crackdowns, fraudulent messages are still seen occasionally," said a statement from the ministry quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.

"And some telecom service providers are not strict enough when managing websites."

Crimes targeted in the crackdown also included the trading of weapons online, the illegal use of surveillance equipment and the creation of fake professional certificates, the ministry said, adding "harsher punishments for perpetrators" were planned.