According to Alexa Internet’s top 500 websites on the Internet, Baidu ranks fourth globally in terms of traffic. (Photo : Reuters)
China's top search engine Baidu is under fire for the presence of pornography, libelous posts and adverts for unlicensed hospitals that are found in its forums, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.
The State Internet Information Office asked Baidu executives to appear before them on Friday for questioning regarding the matter. They then demanded that Baidu remove the contents immediately.
The office also ordered Internet regulators in Beijing, where Baidu is based, to sanction the company.
In a statement released on Saturday, the office said that it was flooded with public complaints regarding Baidu. The complaints even went as far as claiming that Baidu had leaked personal information belonging to its users.
The statement also mentioned that Baidu's search engine is guilty of releasing results that are not neutral.
"In addition, some search results on Baidu are not impartial or objective, and its news channel has spread harmful information involving violence and terrorism," said the statement.
It has yet to be made clear what kind of punishment Baidu will receive, but the company has already been fined more than 210,000 yuan (around $33,800) in March 2015 for carrying online publications without securing a permit as well as uploading pornographic novels on its app.
The office claims that, according to Baidu principals, the company has "fully realized the severe inadequacies in its management and the resulting negative social impact."
Recently, the media has reported on Baidu users complaining about the amount of advertising for questionable medical services that are present in its health forums.
On the company's Sina Weibo account, Baidu responded to criticism by saying that it "is reviewing its decision-making and approval procedures so as to fix the problem at the source."
According to Alexa Internet's top 500 websites on the Internet, Baidu ranks fourth globally in terms of traffic.
