This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36189252

The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Baidu under investigation by Chinese regulators China investigates search engine Baidu after student's death
(about 4 hours later)
Regulators in China are investigating Baidu over the death of a student who used the search engine to look up cancer treatments. China has launched an investigation into search giant Baidu after the death of a student who tried an experimental cancer therapy he found online.
Wei Zexi, aged 21, a computer science student at Xidian University, died last month of a rare form of cancer. Wei Zexi, who died last month from a rare form of cancer, had sought the treatment from a hospital that came top of the list on his Baidu web search.
Shares slumped in the US on news of an investigation, with Baidu's Nasdaq-listed shares falling 7.92%. Baidu came under fire for allegedly failing to check claims made by those who pay for prominent search rankings.
Baidu has said on its Weibo account that it had filed a request for the hospital to be investigated. In a statement Baidu said it was investigating the matter.
According to state media, Wei was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in 2014. He had been undergoing a controversial treatment at a hospital which was advertised on the search engine. The company told the BBC: "We deeply regret the death of Wei Zexi and our condolences go out to his family.
The company, often referred to as China's Google, told the BBC: "We deeply regret the death of Wei Zexi and our condolences go out to his family.
"Baidu strives to provide a safe and trustworthy search experience for our users, and have launched an immediate investigation of the matter.""Baidu strives to provide a safe and trustworthy search experience for our users, and have launched an immediate investigation of the matter."
China's internet regulator - Cyberspace Administration of China - is teaming up with several other government agencies to look into the matter, including the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission. Baidu owns search engine and social media services, and is often compared to Google. Shares slumped in the US on news of an investigation by China's internet regulator, with Baidu's Nasdaq-listed shares falling 7.92%.
In addition to the Cyberspace Administration of China, several other government agencies including the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the National Health and Family Planning Commission are looking into the matter.
According to state news agency Xinhua, Wei was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in 2014.
He and his family said he found out about a controversial treatment at the Second Hospital of the Beijing Armed Police Corps through an advertisement on Baidu.
But the treatment was unsuccessful and the 21-year-old student died on 12 April.
Before his death, Wei publically accused Baidu of promoting false medical information and the hospital of misleading advertising.
Baidu has said on its Weibo account that it had filed a request for the hospital to be investigated. The hospital has yet to comment and efforts to contact hospital officials have been unsuccessful.
The outcry over Mr Wei's case follows a similar scandal in January involving ethical practices regarding healthcare advertising.
Read more: Public mistrust in China's healthcare system
The story has also reignited public concern over Baidu's advertising ethics, following an earlier scandal where the hospital admitted it allowed healthcare companies to moderate online health forums.
On popular microblogging network Sina Weibo, the hashtag #Wei Zexi Baidu Advertising Incident# has been trending for days as netizens have called for a boycott of Baidu.