Baidu faces punishment over porn, fake adverts

BEIJING - Baidu, China's top search engine, is facing punishment over forums containing pornography, libelous posts, and adverts for unlicensed hospitals.

The State Internet Information Office summoned Baidu executives for a grilling on Friday and ordered them to immediately remove the content. It also ordered Internet regulators in Beijing, where Baidu is headquartered, to punish the company.

The State Internet Information Office has been flooded with public complaints about Baidu, it said in a statement on Saturday. The complaints also claimed Baidu had leaked users' personal information.

"In addition, some search results on Baidu are not impartial or objective, and its news channel has spread harmful information involving violence and terror," according to the statement.