Authorities in Shanghai have launched a probe into a company registered in the city that developed a mobile application providing dating services which allegedly sexualize and exploit women.
Officials at the publicity department in Pudong New Area told the Red Star news on Wednesday that the department concerned has stepped into the case and will make the result public at the right time.
On Monday, the Global Times revealed that a company received a license in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and launched an app on both iOS and Android platforms in China called Seeking Arrangement.
However, the U.S.-based website has been exposed by many Western media outlets including BBC and The Huffington Post for connecting so-called "sugar babies" with "sugar daddies" - young girls with older men. The Huffington post reports said the website was launched in 2006 and has over 5 million users of which 2 million are college students; it skirts the issue of prostitution by promoting "Sugar Baby University," a platform where young women can exchange "companionship" for guidance, and in some cases, intimacy.
Chinese netizens have condemned the service and SA's WeChat account has been banned on Tuesday. However, its app was downloadable.
SA's Chinese website said it let users be vigilant about sexual opportunists. "Seeking Arrangement dating platform is definitely not built for sex workers. Any suspicious personal data will be excluded by SA review team," it said.
