A man was detained in the eastern province of Zhejiang for
posting explicit photographs of Hong Kong celebrities on the
Internet, said local police on Friday.
Ten people who allegedly produced, sold or bought computer discs
of the photos were arrested in the southern city of Shenzhen last
week, when police confiscated about 250 discs and six computers
used to produce the discs.
The 11th suspect, surnamed Yu, was found claiming in an on-line
post that, in his QQ space, there were many graphic images
featuring entertainer Edison Chen and some female starlets, with
links provided.
Police apprehended Yu at his home in Daishan county, Zhoushan
city, where they found more than 260 downloaded photos on his
computer.
According to Yu, he uploaded the photos to the album of his QQ
space to attract the attention of other netizens. "I didn't make a
profit with the photos," he said. "I just thought them
interesting."
Yu was to be detained for 10 days.
It was illegal for people to disseminate or post the photos,
even if they did not intend to make a profit, police said. Those
found doing so could face detention of up to 15 days, under the
administrative penalties for public security.
Last month, photos of the Canadian-born Chen caught in sexual
acts with various Hong Kong starlets surfaced on the Internet and
have spread like wildfire ever since.
Chinese Internet search engine Baidu.com has been asked by a
Beijing Internet self-discipline organization to make a public
apology for spreading the photos.
Thirteen on-line portals on the mainland issued a joint
statement asking domestic websites to boycott such photos. So far,
more than 40 domestic websites have supported the statement and
many Chinese netizens have pledged not download or spread the Chen
photos.
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(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2008)