China Shuts Down Over 120 Dating Websites For Violations

Dating in China just got a whole lot harder. The country's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, has closed down 128 online dating sites suspected of violating regulations and supplying false information.

The websites were shut down for a lengthy list of allegations, including organized prostitution, disseminating pornographic images, promoting vulgar content, allowing user information to be distributed illegally, and not having complete sets of registration records.

This crackdown comes after the CAC joined forces with several government agencies – including the Ministry of Public Security, the All-China Women's Federation, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs – to conduct a clean-up operation. The offensive began in February, driven primarily by tips from the public. Users are still encouraged to report illegal websites through hotlines, e-mail or mobile apps.

"The operation has achieved a good result. It acted as a deterrent to violators and also had positive impact on the industry's development," said the CAC in a statement. With the way paved, the plan is to create guidelines to ensure dating sites provide fair and honest service.

Other dating services have expressed support, saying the new policies will be good for the industry's long-term development. Wu Linguang, CEO of leading Chinese dating site Jiayuan.com, has come out in favor. The CEOs of Baihe.com and Youyuan.com have also both expressed support for the campaign.

Aside from targeting prostitution and fraudulent practices by service providers, the CAC's crusade tackled the issue of authenticity. Some services were accused of failing to enforce controversial 2012 regulations requiring users to give their real names and national identification numbers upon registration. These sites have been asked to enforce real-name registration to protect users against dishonesty and scammers.

Some believe these are advantageous moves that will help maintain a fair and competitive online market, and improve legal consciousness. Others are less convinced by the ostensible motives.

Chinese internet users have poked fun at the crackdown and questioned its intentions. Critics claim campaigns purporting to safeguard moral standards and related laws are merely a pretext for political censorship.

This is not the first time China has made such a bold move. Last year, in a similar effort to stamp out prostitution and pornography, the country closed nearly 1.8 million social networking and instant messaging accounts.

Not the first time, and likely not the last.