The government of Shanghai, the largest metropolis in eastern China, plans to require users of matchmaking websites to register their real names, a move to make those websites a more honest and ordered community, authorities said on Friday.

The environment of the matchmaking websites is chaotic and the anonymity afforded by the Internet opens the door to cybercrimes such as fraud, said Zhou Juemin, chairperson of Shanghai Matchmaking Organization Administration Association.

Officials with the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau said people who put up personal ads in newspapers may also be requested to use their real names in the future.

China's matchmaking industry has been thriving in recent years as the country is witnessing an increase in the number of singles. Statistics from the All-China Women's Federation shows China currently has around 180 million singles.

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