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Girls are converting their profile pictures and gender record on the Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing, following the homicide of a feminine passenger in advance this month.
The 21-12 months-old woman is believed to have been killed through her taxi driver.
She have been the use of the Didi Chuxing carpooling carrier referred to as Hitch.
Hitch drivers can see every passenger’s occupation, profile image and gender, to boot as feedback left via earlier drivers, sooner than they choose to accept a trip request.
China’s largest trip-sharing company has now said it will disable features similar to profile photos, scores and public tags from its carpooling service.
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That Is not the primary time the company has handled the murder of a customer.
In 2016 a lady in Shenzhen was once robbed and murdered via guy who had fraudulently signed as much as work as a Didi Chuxing driving force, according to South China Morning Post.
Girls are sharing their updated profiles on a well-liked Chinese microblog Sina Weibo, as an act of protest.
Some say they also concern for their protection.
The new profile pictures vary from funny to political and include stock images, male family and even fictional characters from TV and film.
Female Sina Weibo users say they are changing their taxi app profile to signify they’re a man, while others say their folks have informed them to modify their account main points.
“I Am calling all my female pals to modify their profile footage,” says person ChaoJun77.
“i would like to offer protection to myself. After the tragedy, I’m scared,” Xu Yanan, a scholar at Beijing’s Tsinghua College, has advised Reuters.
“My buddies’ father bought his daughter pepper spray on-line,” says Gorgeous Woman.
Others said changing profile main points was a pointless exercise.
“even though you exchange your gender to male at the app, if you get in the automobile the driver will see you,” says TuanziHibiku.
The case has reignited concerns of customer protection in China.
On 11 Would Possibly China’s Ministry of Transport announced plans to enhance legislation of the auto-hailing industry, whilst Chinese Language state broadcaster CCTV issued advice, telling feminine passengers to not “chat an excessive amount of” with drivers, or travel to far flung or unfamiliar places for their personal safety.
Some girls have complained on-line, pronouncing the onus is not going to be on them to watch their own behaviour.
Additional reporting by way of Chen Yan
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