The fault of search engines

It's been a long time since I wrote a comment. The last one was about five years ago. This time, seeing the Wei Zexi incident linked to search engines and the deception of American technology in China, which happens to be something I often encounter, I wanted to write something to talk about with everyone. If I offend anyone's interests, please don't get emotional, and I won't delete this blog.

Let's first talk about the Baidu paid search ranking that everyone is so angry about this time.

Pay-per-click (PPC) search results have become a target of criticism. While the technology itself isn't particularly complex, let's briefly explain. When you search for keywords, you'll see results labeled "Promotion" at the top. On ordinary websites, this might represent sponsored content or advertising. However, for large websites, especially search engines, this is a lucrative business opportunity. The top few search results offer a website immense advantages. Firstly, they have very high click-through rates. Secondly, they naturally evoke the image of a "large and trustworthy" website, making them highly sought after. Compared to search engine optimization (SEO), PPC is a much faster shortcut. Each participating website bids for a keyword, and the highest bidder wins. Of course, every time a user clicks on the link to your website, you pay your bid. Therefore, the higher your bid, the greater your chance of securing a prime position. A prime position attracts many clicks, making it an expensive form of advertising, with the platform ultimately reaping the benefits.

It's unclear whether it's due to public opinion, but everyone has overwhelmingly pointed the finger at Baidu in this incident. This is understandable, given Baidu's past misdeeds—selling counterfeit medicine, the hemophilia forum, and other issues have already earned public contempt. This is just another instance of this backlash. Google also uses paid search ranking, but it strictly manages and even prohibits the use of certain core keywords. Baidu isn't as strict in this regard, nor does it seem to have any bans, perhaps due to the huge profits involved. However, Baidu isn't entirely inactive; it does vet the qualifications of those using paid search ranking.

I don't think anyone would be foolish enough not to conduct due diligence. Under China's current system, trust is just empty talk; document review seems to have become commonplace, which is undeniably tragic. This explains why, even with due diligence, so many similar incidents still occur. The root cause lies with the relevant government departments. Baidu is at best a bad businessman, but the real problem is why such hospitals and organizations can infiltrate major hospitals, brazenly obtaining various certificates, documents, and official invoices. In a society without trust, relying on certificates and documents to maintain trust is unacceptable. When these documents break down, who will compensate? Those who truly deserve condemnation and execution are those who provided the fertile ground for the Putian network's growth; they are the real bloodsuckers and murderers behind it all. Looking at the list of Putian-affiliated hospitals, it's so long... so painful.

Of course, Baidu also has very serious problems. They turn a blind eye to problems in the face of profit, knowingly condoning wrongdoing. But don't forget, the patient mentioned multiple CCTV broadcasts and interviews. I don't want my blog shut down, so there's no need to dig deeper; the roots are too thick and too deep.

Public opinion once again focused on the branches, while the roots remained thick and continued to absorb nutrients from the fertile but meager soil.

Judging from the statements of Wei Zexi's family and Wei Zexi himself, they knew that paid search rankings weren't necessarily reliable, but they didn't want to give up their last hope. They only decided to seek treatment after multiple on-site investigations. If I were him, perhaps I would also seize this 1% chance, since the treatment seemed theoretically feasible. Although I don't know if it truly involved foreign equipment or if it was really developed by Stanford University, in the face of death, something is better than nothing. That's how people are; nothing else matters in the face of life.

Another key point this time is Stanford's technology; DC-CIK therapy, theoretically speaking, is indeed very convincing. If it were me, I would also believe it could cure the disease. Add to that the hype surrounding research from a prestigious university, and it's hard to resist. Recently, many people in China have sent me links asking me to ship items back, claiming they're very popular in China and made in the US. But when I check, there's no such brand at all. I feel incredibly helpless every time I see this; this is the value created by information asymmetry!

Products that sell very well in China, especially on e-commerce platforms, are very likely to be rebranded products if they are from the US. Registering a company in the US is extremely easy; it can be done online in about 10 minutes. After establishing the company, they negotiate with factories in places like Shenzhen and Malaysia to change the outer packaging, and then ship the products back to China to become American-branded.

I've noticed that many times, so-called famous American brands—while their names can indeed be found in the US—sell completely different things. For example, a high-tech toy that sells very well in China has a company with the same name in the US that actually sells candy. There are far too many examples like this... Everyone really needs to be careful...

The walls blocked the giants, but they also hindered human development.