In a case believed to be the first of its kind, state media outlet China Daily is reporting that the guandong Communications Administration has fined a company operating in China’s fast-growing southern city of Shenzhen some 5,000 yuan—roughly $630 US—for sending “vast amounts” of spam since the beginning of 2006.
China is infamous for running the largest and most expansive Internet regulation and censorship operation on the planet. The country regularly censors information and news accessible outside of China, and punishes Chinese citizens for using the Internet to access or distribute information deemed to run counter to state interests. However, this is the first known instance where Chinese authorities have fined a Chinese company for spamming.
Spam is a growing problem in China. Chinese Internet users are currently estimated to be targeted by more than 50 billion spam messages a year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the mail they receive.
According to China Daily, companies or individuals profiting by sending junk email can be fined up to 30,000 yuan.
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