China’s cyberspace regulator has ordered two of the country’s leading photo agencies to temporarily suspend operations after they allegedly cooperated with foreign companies without authorization.

The Cyberspace Administration of China said Tuesday that it had instructed local officials to meet with representatives of Visual China Group (VCG) and IC Photo to convey word of the indefinite suspension. The authority accused the two companies of “illegally providing news information services without a license, as well as illegally cooperating with overseas firms without a security assessment.”

The websites for the two companies are currently down, instead displaying a message saying that they have started the “self-examination and rectification” process as mandated by the Cyberspace Administration.

This is not the first time the photo agencies have faced scrutiny from the authorities. In April, VCG shut down its website and apologized after being caught claiming the license to public-domain images, including the first-ever photo of a black hole. Internet regulators in the northern city of Tianjin later fined the agency 300,000 yuan ($42,600) over the offense. (Image: Sixth Tone)