Former subway staff were responsible for recording the scene
from the monitor of a couple kissing at a Shanghai Metro station
entrance and posting it on the Internet, a Metro investigation has
revealed.
The Shanghai Metro Operation Co yesterday apologized to the
couple and said it might sue the former employees.
The video, which captures the 20-something couple in the throes
of passion unaware of the camera, has spread widely online since
January 14.
The three-minute video, which has received more than 10,000
hits, has raised privacy concerns about management of Metro
monitoring devices.
The video was made from a monitoring device at the entrance to
the Youyi Road station of Metro Line 3 about 7:30 pm on September 2
last year.
According to investigators, three people surnamed Hai, Wang and
Ding were the supervisors at the station at that time.
When the trio saw the couple kissing, they began making
sarcastic comments to each other.
A Metro source said Hai then violated operating regulations by
recording the scene from the monitor on a cell phone.
Hai resigned from the Metro in October, followed by Wang in
December, and the video with their comments was posted online about
January 13.
"The remaining employee, Ding, has been punished by the Metro
company," the source said.
The Metro company apologized to the couple and vowed to improve
its education procedures.
The man and woman at the center of the storm have contacted the
Metro company to seek compensation. They are also considering legal
action.
The couple said they felt uneasy using the Metro after the video
was posted. The man, surnamed Lu, said he had also resigned from
his job.
"Although the video did not influence our love, it affected our
lives, and even my friends abroad have called me to ask about the
video," he said.
(Shanghai Daily January 24, 2008)