In 2010 China shut down 60,000 pornographic websites according to the news agency Reuters, arresting almost 5,000 suspects in the process. Possession of pornography is punishable by up to 3 years in prison, a fine of CN¥ 20,000, or up to life imprisonment for large underground distributors. As a result of this regulation and censorship, adult films and media can only be obtained through the Internet and on the black market.
Any film studio found in violation may have its license revoked. Directors, producers, and actors involved in pornographic films have been barred from competing in any film competitions. Since 2008, the production of pornographic films has been banned by state censors, the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television's prohibition on pornography has been complete, and the government has shown no signs of changing course. The government started a crackdown in 2004, which included the jailing of a woman. Internet pornography was outlawed in the People's Republic of China effective 2002, when state censors issued guidelines requiring that all websites remove any pornographic material.
