China’s internet regulator has issued new rules for online search and advertising, about six weeks after it opened an investigation of Chinese search giant Baidu Inc.’s practices. The Wall Street Journal reports that on Saturday, the Cyberspace Administration of China announced that search companies must provide “objective, fair and authoritative results”, which shouldn’t harm the rights and interests of the nation, the public and other legal organizations. The rule also urges service providers to identify and label paid ads clearly, distinguishing them from regular search results, as well as limiting the number of paid ads on each page. An unnamed CAC official said the new rules came in response to internet users’ longtime complaints about the ambiguity between paid ads and natural search results.
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