Chinese government shut down 12,575 Internet cafes in 2004

Associated Press (AP) reports that Chinese authorities shut down more than 12,575 Internet cafes from October to December last year for "operating illegally", the government said.

From SiliconValley: China Says It Shut Down Internet Cafes

"The purpose of the crackdown was to create a "safer environment for young people in China," the official Xinhua News Agency said Sunday. It didn't give details of the violations, but said the businesses closed "were mainly located nearby primary schools and middle schools." China promotes Internet use for business and education, but communist authorities complain that Internet cafes harm public morality by giving children access to violent games and sexually explicit material."