Chinese authorities have arrested 15,000 people for cybercrime in the “Cleaning the Internet” operation.
The Beijing government has arrested nearly 15,000 people involved in cybercrime, as part of the operation “Cleaning the Internet”
Chinese authorities have arrested about 15,000 people involved in online criminal activities as part of an operation dubbed “Cleaning the Internet.” The Chinese government accuses the suspects of endangering Internet security.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the “Cleaning the Internet” operation began in July, with authorities planning a six-month ‘crusade’ against online criminal activities.
Police investigated around 7,400 cases related to cybercrime, with investigators prosecuting hacking campaigns, online scams and the illegal sale of personal information.
The website of China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) says that over 66,000 websites were analyzed during the campaign, while avoiding providing more information about when the arrests took place.
China's Ministry of Public Security said that Operation Cleaning the Internet has taken down major online criminal rings operating in the country.
The Chinese government considers cyberspace to be a strategic sector, and President Xi Jinping has led an increasingly harsh crackdown on cybercrime on the Chinese Internet.
The Chinese government runs one of the most sophisticated Internet censorship systems, called The Great Firewall, and it is proof of the great importance Beijing attaches to online sovereignty.
The Chinese underground market is one of the largest cyber-criminal communities along with the Russian and Brazilian ones.
