Police in China to set up 'stations' to monitor big internet, website firms

China is planning to set up "cybersecurity police stations” at major internet companies and for websites so authorities can move more quickly against illegal online behaviour, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement.

Police should take a leading role in online security and work closely with internet regulators, the deputy minister, Chen Zhimin, told a conference in Beijing.

"We will set up cyber security police stations inside important website and internet firms so that we can catch criminal behaviour online at the earliest possible point," Chen said, according to the statement.

The authorities have been tightening control over the domestic internet in recent years and have at times admonished social media companies like Tencent Holdings and Sina Corp for failing to move quickly enough to remove pornography, scams, rumours or politically-sensitive content.

The government published a draft cyber-security law last month consolidating its control over data, with significant potential consequences for internet service providers and multinational firms doing business in the country.

The law will strengthen user privacy protection from hackers and data resellers, but elevates the government’s powers to obtain records on, and block dissemination of, private information deemed illegal.