BEIJING, Feb.11 (Xinhua) -- China's top authority on social order said it would enhance the surveillance and control over "virtue communities" of the Internet in its annual work guidelines of 2008.

    The supervision over "virtue communities", along with the goal of "cleansing cyber environment", was listed by the Central Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security as one of its work priorities in 2008.

    The committee is a standing body that assists the Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council to "lead the country's overall social security work", according to its official website.

    It is the first time the body targets on China's booming cyber space in its annual work guidelines.

    But it does not elaborate on what "virtue communities" refer to and its detailed measures.

    China's online population rose to 210 million at the end of 2007, only 5 million shy of hitting the world's top. Online blogs and discussion boards were particularly booming through the past year.