Dating website flayed for its unverified members
Source: Xinhua |
March 20, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A WOMAN yesterday dragged one of China's largest online matchmaking sites to court after the "high roller" she met online turned out to be a married man from the countryside.
The Chaoyang District People's Court in Beijing is hearing the case.
The 38-year-old woman who goes by the name Xiao Fang, claimed she met Jiang Haifeng, a paying member on Baihe, China's first online dating service that insists that users must register with their real identities. Jiang claimed to be the board chairman of a listed company.
Xiao gave Jiang 100,000 yuan (US$16,087) to invest in his company. After the birth of their child, she called police, who found that Jiang was, in fact, a married man from the countryside.
In August 2012, a court sentenced Jiang to four-and-a-half years in prison for swindling Xiao Fang and another woman he met on Baihe.
Although there is currently nothing in Chinese law that requires dating agencies to verify the marital status of their registered members, Xiao maintained that as an online dating service, the site is obligated to verify the marital status of its users.
She demanded 500,000 yuan as compensation but withdrew the demand during the court's hearing.
The defense lawyers said the website had no right to check the user's marital status, which is administrated by the civil affairs authorities. They added that the website's terms of service, which members agree to when registering, also do not specify the site's obligation to verify users' marital status.
A ruling will be announced at a later date.
Baihe claims to have more than 42 million registered members. Those who pay membership fees are entitled to personal messaging and photo-sharing services.
The Chaoyang District People's Court in Beijing is hearing the case.
The 38-year-old woman who goes by the name Xiao Fang, claimed she met Jiang Haifeng, a paying member on Baihe, China's first online dating service that insists that users must register with their real identities. Jiang claimed to be the board chairman of a listed company.
Xiao gave Jiang 100,000 yuan (US$16,087) to invest in his company. After the birth of their child, she called police, who found that Jiang was, in fact, a married man from the countryside.
In August 2012, a court sentenced Jiang to four-and-a-half years in prison for swindling Xiao Fang and another woman he met on Baihe.
Although there is currently nothing in Chinese law that requires dating agencies to verify the marital status of their registered members, Xiao maintained that as an online dating service, the site is obligated to verify the marital status of its users.
She demanded 500,000 yuan as compensation but withdrew the demand during the court's hearing.
The defense lawyers said the website had no right to check the user's marital status, which is administrated by the civil affairs authorities. They added that the website's terms of service, which members agree to when registering, also do not specify the site's obligation to verify users' marital status.
A ruling will be announced at a later date.
Baihe claims to have more than 42 million registered members. Those who pay membership fees are entitled to personal messaging and photo-sharing services.
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