Gaga, Backstreet Boys caught in China’s pop crackdown

Music download sites operating in China have been warned: delete the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" or face severe penalties.

According to the Associated Press, China's culture ministry has flagged 100 songs available for online download including Lady Gaga's "Judas," Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" and "I Want It That Way," a song released back when Pluto was still a planet.

The problem?

The 100 songs still haven't been submitted for "mandatory government screening," reports the AP, which quotes the culture ministry as insisting the warning will help preserve China's "national cultural security."

Indeed, the threat posed by American pop's corrosive influence is very real.

Breaches in China's "cultural security," as seen in the footage below, have had disturbing effects on the lives on Chinese citizens young and old alike.