Yet again, Beijing pledged to tighten the screws on the Chinese Internet. On Thursday, the government announced another nationwide campaign to root out online porn and “rumors”—which effectively means everything from libelous content to political dissent.

The targets will not only be traditional Web pages, but also videos and messages shared over social media platforms, data files stored in the cloud, and streaming video on smart TVs. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) expects to shut down several content providers deemed to have an adverse “severe impact,” as CAC official Liang Lihua told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Representatives from 29 leading Chinese Web portals, including Tencent.com (700:HK), Sohu.com (SOHU), and 163.com (NTES), co-signed a “letter of intent” to uphold the government’s objective of cleaning up the Internet. Among other things, the companies pledged to require real-name registration of users and “to consciously abide by the ‘seven bottom lines’—law and rules, socialist systems, national interests, citizens’ legitimate rights, social public order, morality and authenticity of information,” according to the letter.

The document also enumerated 18 categories of information deemed unfit for public consumption, including anything deemed a “state secret” (a broad category) or likely to incite racial tension. “The management of posts and comments in line with the law concerns the guidance of online public opinion,” CAC Deputy Director Ren Xianliang told Xinhua.

(Bloomberg Businessweek)