The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has announced on May 17, Sunday, the closure of 128 dating websites for supplying false information and violating some regulations, the Global Times reported.
The CAC and several government agencies including the Ministry of Public Security, the All-China Women's Federation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, conducted the clean-up operation which started in February.
The report said that many of the dating websites were penalized for publishing false information, for not being registered legally, for intentionally exposing user information and allowing them to transmit malicious sexual content.
"The operation has achieved a good result. It acted as a deterrent to violators and also had positive impact on the industry's development," according to CAC statement.
The CAC crackdown was aimed at protecting the public interest and curbing illegal dating websites, and to pave the way to create guidelines to ensure that dating sites provide fair and honest service.
The report added that many dating websites expressed support for the crackdown.
Wu Linguang, CEO of jiayuan.com, a leading dating website in China with more than 100 million users, said that the clean-up operation would benefit the industry in general.
Dong Jian, CEO of youyuan.com, said that keeping the user's information authentic would ensure credibility in the cyberspace as it requires members to verify information through national ID and mobile phone verification when they register.
Online dating is a growing industry in the country, earning 2.3 billion yuan ($370 million) in revenue in 2014, a 13.7-percent increase compared with that of 2013, according to the 2015 Online Marriage and Dating Industry Report issued by consulting company iResearch in February.
Wang Shuqin, a professor with the College of Political Science and Law of Capital Normal University, said that keeping a strong management and authenticity of dating websites would be advantageous as it ensures a fair and competitive online market.
