Anita Davis
Dec 12, 2008

CCTV targets new search engines

BEIJING - One month after a CCTV report caused a backlash - and a potential mass lawsuit - against Baidu after it was found to have included unlicensed medical companies among its top search positions, the television network has released a second report citing several other search engines in China of committing the same act.

CCTV targets new search engines
According to Chinese reports, following CCTV’s initial broadcast in November, the State Food and Drug Administration had issued a watch-list of 23 websites that sell fraudulent medicine. Yet a second investigation aired by CCTV Thursday found these sites can still be found on search-results pages from engines including Google China and Yahoo China.

The report notes that the websites can be found on the engines’ search pages and among their sponsored links.

The initial news prompted Baidu to launch an ad platform that separates its list of paid links from its general search listings. However, the effort has not stopped a group of lawyers from pursuing a mass-litigation suit against the engine, which may bring up claims by Baidu users who have purchased products from these fraudulent medical sites.

Source:
Campaign China

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