65 dating websites carrying obscene content shut down

China's Internet regulator has shut 65 dating and other matchmaking websites after accusing them of spreading obscene content and allowing registration with false names, Xinhua state news agency said on Tuesday. Sites closed included ones with names like "Get a one-night stand" and "Playing with you net", Xinhua said, citing the Cyberspace Administration of China.

"These websites allowed the use of false identities at will to register or spread obscene and lascivious content," the report said. "The circumstances were serious and the effects terrible." State media said last week that the regulator would target fraud on dating websites and other online matchmaking sites. China exercises tight control over the Internet, saying that it is needed to ensure social stability and morality and to protect consumers, brushing off concerns of censorship from rights groups.