Baidu faces a new regulatory probe over illegal gambling

The Cyber Administration of China will investigate the Chinese web services company after receiving complaints against the company for promoting illegal activities on its platforms.

China.- China’s internet regulator Cyber Administration of China (CAC) said in an official statement that Baidu Inc will be facing a new regulatory probe after the watchdog received reports of the company promoting illegal activities on its platforms. “We will conduct a strict investigation and handle any illegal behavior accordingly,” said CAC it its statement.

Baidu is China’s largest search engine with over 80 percent of market share, although it is estimated that almost 96 percent of its total revenue last year came from online advertising. The company argued that the allegations are not true and that Baidu is participating in the investigation and is actively assisting Chinese police officials.

However, and according to the Chinese state media, law enforcement agencies found Baidu’s employees helping illegal gambling websites use its search engine to promote their businesses and also making huge profits from the activity.

So far, CAC has ordered Baidu and all other search engines to refrain from providing platforms to promote illegal activities such as gambling.