China launches controls on dating websites

BEIJING, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The latest on China's list of allegedly corrupt practices in need of a crackdown is online dating.

Citing what it claims is widespread fraud on online dating sites and a "public nuisance to millions of users," the Cyberspace Administration of China said it will seek out examples of prostitution and "fraud rings", and will compel users to register real names, instead of code names.

The website Jiayuan.com has over 100 million users, and Momo, an app which has been compared to Tinder in the West, has over 180 million.

Momo was accused in 2014 of hosting prostitution, with a story by the state-run Xinhua news agency calling it a "new mobile base for sexual trades and other illegal activities."

The Chinese government has actively attempted to control Internet activity. It blocks thousands of websites, including those of foreign news providers; has blocked Facebook and Twitter social media platforms and routinely censors websites.

The new crackdown comes as the Lunar New Year, Feb. 19, approaches, a popular time in China for wedding engagements and other Valentine's Day-style activities.