Shanghai subway authorities apologized to the couple videotaped hugging and kissing on a subway platform and dismissed an employee involved in uploading the video.

"We have wrapped up an internal investigation and found the videotape was uploaded by people who had worked for Shanghai metro. We made formal apologies and are negotiating with the couple over compensation," authorities with Shanghai Metro Operation Co Ltd. said.

The company found three staff were accountable for capturing and uploading the video footage. Two of them already left the company last September. The other one, a female, was dismissed after the incident caused public uproar.

The three-minute footage was uploaded online earlier this week, attracting thousands of hits on sites such as youtube and sina.com.

Cameras are widely used in public venues, such as subways, banks, roads, lifts, supermarkets, hospitals and even taxis, mainly for ensuring security and tracking down criminals.

But there have been worries about whether the cameras infringe on privacy and if companies can properly protect the video data from being released to the public.

Management of Internet audio-visual programs is expected to be improved when a regulation issued by the country's broadcasting, film, TV and information industry authorities takes effect on Jan. 31. The regulation says online videos should not insult or slander others, or infringe upon other people's privacy.

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2008)