Li Yanhong, also known as Robin Li, president of Baidu (Photo : Getty Images)
China’s Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. has decided to suspend all consumer-related medical service marketing for the meantime amid probe on Baidu’s health-care advertising operation that reportedly led to a college student’s death.
According to the South China Morning Post, Qihoo 360 released a statement declaring its decision to stop all medical-related advertising as the investigation on Baidu continues.
"We have . . . realized that as long as online promotion for the medical industry exists, it is not possible to eliminate the harm that users could encounter," the company stated, adding that they vow to provide "safe, clean and trustworthy search engine services" for its users.
Early in May, the leading Chinese Internet company found itself in a pickle after authorities decided to probe its accountability for what happened to a Chinese college student who used its search engine to look for a reputable treatment for his rare cancer.
The Student's Death
Baidu is at the center of the outrage on the death of a 22-year-old Chinese student who was suffering from a rare cancer, CNN Money reported.
Wei Zexi, a college student from the northwestern province of Shaanxi in China, found out during his sophomore year two years ago that he had synovial sarcoma.
According to NPR, Wei used Baidu's search engine to look for a treatment for his illness after his initial treatments failed.
The search results pointed him to a treatment at the Beijing People's Armed Police Corps Hospital No. 2 that claims to have effective experimental procedures to treat synovial sarcoma in collaboration with a Stanford medical school.
Unfortunately, the treatment failed and Chinese media revealed that there was actually no collaboration between the Chinese hospital and Stanford.
Because of this, Wei believed he was cheated by the misleading search result from Baidu and posted over his social media account about it.
"Baidu, I didn't know how evil it is and how it ranks medical information based on a bidding process. We thought: Baidu, a top-ranked hospital . . . everything must be legitimate," he wrote.
He also posted a plea for his life.
"I don't want to die. My 21 years of effort have not yet born fruit. I still have dreams. I still want to see this wide world."
Wei died on April 12, less than two months after the treatment.
Probe on Baidu
Because of Wei's posts, outraged attacks on Baidu emerged and multiplied.
The attacks were directed at the Chinese search engine's advertising practices for medical services, resulting in an investigation initiated by China's cyberspace regulator.
According to CNN Money, Baidu expressed its sympathies at the death of the college student and posted a certificate of the military treatment facility's certificate in defense of its business practices.
