China will blacklist the producers and distributors of spy software, or spyware, in a bid to safeguard Internet safety, Wednesday People's Daily reported.

"The blacklist will be published regularly," the Internet Society of China (ISC), an influential professional organization in China's information industry, reportedly announced at a seminar on Tuesday.

The ISC would set up a team focusing on defining spyware, which would be responsible for reviewing, writing and publishing the blacklist.

The organization said it hoped network server companies would exercise a high level of self-discipline and refrain from producing or spreading the software.

Spyware was a growing threat to Internet security as it could lead to serious damage to computer systems and the release of private information.

The ISC, which was founded in 2001 under the auspices of the Ministry of Information Industry, would also set up a hotline to receive public complaints of spyware.

The organization said it would develop and provide more free software to help Internet users protect themselves.

With nearly 120 million Internet users, China is the world's second largest Internet market after the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)