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The invisible hands behind Web postings

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Legal trouble

Although arguably ethically wrong, there is no law stopping this practice and is deemed legitimate if both sides reach an agreement.

"Since these websites are private companies, they have the right to manage their content, which includes deleting posts," said Zhang Zhisheng, a lawyer with Beijing Zhongyin Law Firm.

Wang Yu wrote about his experience and posted it online because he wanted to tell people not to pay too much attention to harsh comments. "Some of it is simply manipulation by Web editors, who are trying to cause a debate so that people can keep the conversation going," he said.

China has almost 400 million Web users, which has made Web marketing a big business. [China Daily File Photo]

Websites often run the risk of being sued for defamation if they refuse to delete comments about certain products.

The most high-profile case was in 2007 when 315ts.net, a consumer protection website based in Beijing, was taken to court by two companies over posts they claimed damaged their image.

Doctor Bai, a cosmetics firm, and BiosTime Inc, which makes health food for children, both filed lawsuits claiming the site had faked comments about their products. Judges eventually ruled in the website's favor because there was no evidence to suggest the posts were not genuine.

"Enterprises have an obligation to tolerate criticism," was all Wang Fushan, chief executive of 315ts.net, would say about the outcome.

Since the website was launched in 2005, it has received more than 700,000 complaints from customers across China. After the lawsuit, users were asked to register and provide contact information to ensure the validity of their comments.

"We receive at least five calls a day from people asking us to remove complaints from our website," said the CEO, who insisted that his 30 staff members only delete content when a customer's problem is solved.

"You can't depend on people's conscience to do the right thing, though," said Wang Fushan, who receives an e-notification every time a post is deleted. "You need a good system to prevent abuses from happening."

Like many websites, 315ts.net generates its income from advertising and selling data analysis of its customer complaints. Before filing the lawsuit, Doctor Bai paid 5,000 yuan (US$730) to place a product safety announcement on the site. However, Wang stressed: "Our advertising is completely separate from our content. Even if a company advertises with us, customers can still file complaints about them."

The CEO said that although the websites that accept money to delete posts are breaching netizens' trust, the real problem lies with the companies that pay them. "No companies went bankrupt because of bad comments, they go out of business because of other problems," he added.

The growing demand for deleting posts deals a real blow to the ongoing efforts to protect consumer rights in China.

Many have turned to the Web to air their grievances because the other mechanisms on offer are slow, complicated and ineffective.

People unhappy with products can file complaints with industrial and commercial bureaus, but as there are few institutions that provide independent tests, it is difficult for customers to back up their claims, especially when it comes to property, automobiles and electrical goods. Legal procedures are also expensive and time-consuming.

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