Three Chinese agencies are investigating the death of a young male student afflicted with cancer who took a therapy from an online advertisement posted in China’s internet search giant.
To probe Baidu over the death of 21-year-old Wei Zexi are the Cyberspace Administration of China, National Health Commission and another agency, reported The Wall Street Journal. Wei had synovial sarcoma, a rare type of cancer affecting tissues around major joints.
Wei had several unsuccessful treatments in the form of radiation and chemotherapy and chanced upon the Beijing Armed Police Corps No. 2 Hospital in a Baidu paid result. Friend and relatives of Wei raised 200,000 yuan for the alternative treatment which was not effective and controversial. The student died in April, reported What’s on Weibo.
Baidu said it would cooperate with the probe and would commit to provide a safe and trustworthy search experience for its users. It said in a statement that the search engine would not allow fake information or illegal activities online. For Q1 of 2016, online ads accounted for 94 percent of Baidu’s revenue.
Xinhua News Agency scored Baidu for allowing companies to have better search placement, which earns the search engine good income. It compared the practice to placing “a good toll in the hands of interest-seekers with bad intentions.”
But Wei’s parents are not seeking compensation or even filing a lawsuit. The parents added they do not hate Baidu or the hospital. However, before he died, Wei posted his story on Zhihu, a popular Q&A website in China wherein he criticized the hospital that treated him and Baidu for providing the hospital the platform.