Qihoo 360 Technology sells WiFi routers that are said to be safe for pregnant women. (Photo : www.thechinagap.com)
Many expectant mothers in China are now concerned that WiFi signals cause enough radiation to hurt their unborn babies. This is baseless, as scientists have already said that exposure to everyday radiation, even X-rays, does not have negative effects on pregnancy.
An article from the 2010 studies "Radiation Research" states that there is no evidence that proves WiFi signals have negative effects on pregnancy.
It is disturbing that many of anti-radiation garments for pregnant women are selling like hotcakes despite having no real positive outcome.
Qihoo 360, a major tech company in China, is now exploiting the paranoia of exposing babies to radiation. Qihoo 360 launched its new P1 router last week, claiming that it comes with adjustable signal strength.
The company's website claims that there are three available settings: "wall-penetrating," "balanced," and "pregnant woman." The WiFi app states that the "pregnant woman" setting "reduces Wi-Fi radiation by 70 percent."
It is clear that Qihoo is aiming to compete with Xiaomi, a company that recently announced a new router. Xiaomi's routers, however, do not have adjustable signal strengths, and the company is accusing Qihoo of applying "scare tactics" as a marketing tool. Oddly enough, Qihoo CEO Zhou Hongyi, has said himself: "We are targeting people who are afraid of radiation."
It is always profitable to target people who are afraid of something. The truth is, Qihoo's router isn't any safer than anyone's regular WiFi router, but it will most likely be a hot item, thanks to China's superstitious consumers.
It won't come as a surprise if people see more Chinese homes equipped with the P1 router, which might be an excellent router even if it does not live up to its claims of being safe for pregnant women.
It is disturbing that a technological company uses its products to propagate baseless scientific notions that WiFi can be harmful to pregnant women, when its industry is built and thrives on scientific research.
It isn't to say that Qihoo's WiFi is not based on good science, but it demonstrates that its marketing is based on lies.
"We aren't scientists. We haven't done many experiments to prove how much damage the radiation from WiFi can cause," Qihoo told the South China Morning Post. "We leave the right of choice to our customers."
This might sound misleading, leaving the choice to pregnant women, and at the same time hinting that not using their router might put the unborn babies at risk.
This is irresponsible marketing. A simple check on the WHO's website will reveal that electromagnetic fields (like WiFi) below the recommended limits "do not produce any known adverse health effect."
It is true that there's a lot of money to be made in the IT business, but companies such as Qihoo must exercise responsible marketing and not prey on superstitious people to gain an advantage.
