The advertising slogan 'type' Baidu ', and you will know "has been transformed by the Internet in China' type 'Baidu' and you spend money." China Central Television has attacked the advertising practices of the search engine in a program aired earlier this week on the economic chain CCTV2. The show has accused Baidu, which accounts for nearly ¾ of the market for Internet search in the country, selling fake tickets, which have been losing money for users.

"Baidu is clearly not able to solve this problem by demonstrating self-discipline. The primary motivation of this company is to make profits, "said Wu Yue, the presenter of the program. "If there is no law or regulation in place to limit this, it is difficult to improve the situation at the base," she said.

Questionable advertising practices

This is not the first time that the official media attack the Chinese firm. State television has already Baidu suspected to force the big companies who wanted to appear at the top of the sponsored links when searching on the Internet, to pay large sums of money daily. However, this new attack is much more powerful, because it affects the credibility of the brand name Baidu. People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, he also criticized the company in an editorial, arguing that the search engine could be abandoned by users if it focuses only on its short-term profits. "It's time for Baidu to shoulder social responsibility," says the editorial quick payday loans.

Caught in a wave of criticism, Baidu had formally apologized at a news conference Friday.Wang Zheng, vice president of sales for the company apologized to the "users victims of fraudulent information," adding that the company will strive to better filter the information that is illegal.

One way to take control of the Internet?

The scandal coincides with the launch of the CCTV's own search engine and auction of its annual advertising screens, which has led some observers to think that this is a way for the giant Chinese television discredit a formidable competitor.

In addition, the role of Communist propaganda is important for the media in Beijing, and the campaign against Baidu could be a prelude to the implementation of measures designed to "rectify" the politically lcorrect Internet, somewhat chaotic.In recent years, the Chinese government has more and more difficult to control what is said by the Chinese blogs.

"The main players in the Chinese Internet, like Sina, Youku, Tencent and Alibaba, should consider whether the target of the campaign of CCTV, is Baidu," said Bill Bishop in his blog, an investor based in Beijing. "There may be other firms involved", he says it.

The company Baidu is one of the largest global Internet values, with a capitalization of $ 48 billion (33.6 billion euros). Its shares have lost more than 14% from Monday to Thursday on the Nasdaq, the index dominated by technology of the New York Stock Exchange.