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)