Baidu, Sogou fined over misleading Internet ads
Print Edition
CHINA’S two leading search engines, Baidu and Sogou, have been fined for their negligence in publishing unchecked advertising for unlicensed medical services and private companies, Shanghai’s market watchdog said yesterday.
Baidu was fined 28,000 yuan (US$4,120) for allowing induced abortion advertisements by four hospitals not licensed for maternity and pediatric services, the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said.
The bureau said the search engine failed to verify the content of medical advertisements before publishing them.
The Shanghai Nanpu Gynecology Hospital, Shanghai An’ping Hospital, Shanghai Xupu Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chuangsha Tianshi Clinic were also fined a combined 46,000 yuan for illegal medical advertisements.
Sogou was fined 10,300 yuan for publishing advertisements said to be from the “Shanghai Haibo home moving company.”
But the company had closed nine months before the ads appeared.
The ad name was used by others illegally, the bureau said.
In another case, Web International English was fined 184,000 yuan for promoting the success of some of its top students in its brochures and WeChat account, which is banned for education and training advertisements.
Also among 11 cases detailed by the bureau yesterday, Angel Dental was fined 200,000 yuan for claiming on its website to be the world’s No.1 CAD/CAM brand,” “using top-level international dental ceramic materials” which it said accounted for 70 percent of China’s market share and having no side effects.
It was judged to breach rules on using exaggerated words, assertions on safety and claims that could not be supported.
The bureau ruled 2,802 advertisements last year — up 37 percent on the previous year — and fined or confiscated 85.56 million yuan , up 46 percent
False advertising and exaggerated words were the top two problems.
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