The government will soon assign "virtual cops" to monitor and wipe out pornography, gambling and other illicit activities on the Internet, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said.

By the end of June, the virtual cops will monitor all major portals and online forums across China, the ministry said.

Nine other ministerial level government departments and the MPS will take part in the campaign to weed out "harmful material and information" and "illicit activities" on the Internet, starting this month.