在百度搜索部分小学和幼儿园，会被导向色情网站 – News Lab
What happened: Entries in Baidu’s online encyclopedia, Baidu Baike, contained a link in the reference section that redirects users to a pornographic website, reported WeChat news account News Lab. The link appeared in nearly 40 entries about kindergartens and primary schools located in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The link sends users to a website that once hosted education-related content but now hosts pornographic videos and can be accessed without a VPN. Baidu has since removed the link from the affected entries and pledged to review content on Baike more frequently.
Why it’s important: This latest incident may further degrade Baidu’s brand image, which has deteriorated in recent years for ad placement-related issues. Baidu has also faced consumer backlash for promoting its own results and low-quality content. Content regulators also continuously pressure the search giant over vulgar content; the company has said in response that it removed more than 50 billion pieces of “harmful” information in 2018.