Company Directory - Baidu, Inc.
Company Details - Baidu, Inc.
Baidu, Inc.
WebsiteBeijing, China
ISIN: US05612V1083
Baidu, Inc. is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in internet services and artificial intelligence. It operates the country’s largest search engine along with a suite of digital services including online advertising and content moderation.
CCI Score
CCI Score: Baidu, Inc.
-14.40
0.01%
Latest Event
Baidu and Repressive Tech: Contributing to Data-Centric Authoritarianism
An analysis of Baidu's involvement in developing AI platforms—such as its censored LLM Ernie—that facilitate surveillance and support data-centric authoritarian practices as detailed in a recent report.
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ENABLER
Baidu, Inc. is currently rated as an Enabler.
Latest Events
- FEB112025
An analysis of Baidu's involvement in developing AI platforms—such as its censored LLM Ernie—that facilitate surveillance and support data-centric authoritarian practices as detailed in a recent report.
-80
Provision of Repressive Technologies
March 20
The report highlights how Baidu’s development of AI technologies, including its censored large language model Ernie, plays a role in enforcing state censorship and surveillance. This involvement in repressive technology contributes to the export and normalization of digital authoritarianism, making it complicit in supporting authoritarian practices.
- JAN012025
Baidu, Inc. has launched a comprehensive Human Rights Policy aimed at identifying, mitigating, and preventing human rights risks across its operations and value chains, including its employees, suppliers, partners, and communities. This initiative aligns with international standards such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and demonstrates a commitment to fair labor practices and ethical supply chain management.
+80
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 20
Baidu's new Human Rights Policy marks a significant positive step in enhancing labor relations and protecting human rights within its workforce. The policy's emphasis on adhering to international human rights standards and ensuring fair treatment of employees reflects a strong commitment to ethical labor practices.
+75
Supply Chain Ethics
March 20
The policy extends its coverage beyond internal labor practices to include Baidu's suppliers and partners, emphasizing ethical supply chain management. While this is a positive development, continued monitoring is needed to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of these standards across the value chain.
- DEC152024
An analysis from China Labour Bulletin details severe labor rights abuses at Jidu Auto—a company founded with backing from Baidu, Inc.—where workers protested unpaid wages and inadequate social insurance. This case reflects broader systemic issues in labor relations within the companies backed by Baidu.
-70
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 20
The article reports multiple instances of labor rights violations, including wage arrears and inadequate social protections, most notably at Jidu Auto—a venture co-founded by Baidu. These events suggest a neglect of worker rights and point to a troubling corporate culture regarding labor practices. From an anti-fascist perspective, such exploitation of workers contributes to systemic inequality and social injustice.
China Labour Bulletin Strike Map data analysis: 2024 year review
- MAY172024
Baidu’s comprehensive 2023 ESG report outlines robust efforts in business ethics, employee rights, supply chain management, and responsible deployment of technology. While the report emphasizes full transparency and sustainable practices, it provides little information on public political behavior, leaving key aspects of political engagement unaddressed.
+80
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 20
Baidu’s report demonstrates a strong commitment to ethical business practices, including labor rights, human rights, anti-corruption measures, and sustainable supply chain management. These initiatives reflect a proactive approach to ensuring fair labor practices and corporate responsibility.
+70
Technology and Services Impact
March 20
The report outlines extensive efforts in technological innovation with robust measures for data privacy, content moderation, and AI ethics. While these practices are configured to protect users, the extensive content governance might raise nuanced concerns regarding free expression. Overall, the technological initiatives reflect a responsible yet complex approach.
+60
Economic and Structural Influence
March 20
Baidu demonstrates balanced economic and structural influence through transparent corporate governance and measured economic contributions. The report details strong compliance and system measures that ensure sustainable economic practices and mitigate risks related to regulatory capture.
- MAY092024
Baidu's vice president and head of public relations, Qu Jing, made incendiary remarks on social media that dismissed employee welfare and promoted harsh work conditions, sparking widespread criticism and highlighting systemic issues in labor treatment.
-70
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 20
The event centers on controversial statements by Baidu’s PR chief that trivialized and exploited employee concerns, reflecting an authoritarian managerial culture that devalues workers' rights. These remarks contribute to a broader narrative of systemic labor exploitation within the corporate structure, aligning with practices that undermine ethical labor relations.
- APR032024
Baidu released a comprehensive Human Rights Policy that outlines strong commitments to labor rights, including free association, anti-discrimination, safe workplace measures, and strict supply chain audits. These measures signal a positive stance on ethical treatment of employees and supplier accountability.
+80
Labor Relations and Human Rights Practices
March 20
Baidu's policy clearly emphasizes respect for human rights by ensuring a safe workplace, supporting freedom of association, and implementing anti-discrimination policies. The approach aligns with international human rights standards, reinforcing ethical labor practices that are critical in countering authoritarian tendencies in corporate behavior.
+70
Supply Chain Ethics
March 20
Baidu requires its suppliers and business partners to adhere to specified labor and human rights standards through audits and compliance checks. While these measures indicate a commitment to ethical supply chain practices, their effectiveness depends on robust independent verification.
- JAN152024
In January 2024, Chinese authorities, through the CAC, imposed administrative penalties on several companies including Baidu for allegedly failing to sufficiently censor online content. This event highlights the complex role of Baidu in the state's broader program of digital censorship which supports authoritarian control while also facing repercussions for non-compliance.
-30
Media Influence and Propaganda
March 20
Baidu is implicated in the enforcement of state-driven censorship as revealed in the Freedom House report, where it was cited among companies penalized by the CAC in January 2024 for failing to meet censorship requirements. Despite the penalty suggesting a level of non-compliance, Baidu's core operations, including its search engine and digital services, remain integral to a media landscape that supports authoritarian narratives and facilitates state surveillance and censorship. This duality reflects the company's problematic role in enabling state repression, albeit amidst regulatory challenges.
- FEB052020
Research and leaked directives indicate that Baidu has been criticized for its lax control over illegal user-generated content. This inadequate oversight indirectly bolsters the state’s censorship apparatus, thereby supporting authoritarian information control in China.
-40
Public and Political Behavior
March 20
Baidu’s insufficient management of online content contributes to the broader authoritarian agenda by enabling state-led censorship. This lack of proactive control diminishes public accountability and aligns with politically motivated suppression.
No 'Negative' News: How China Censored the Coronavirus
China's online censors tighten grip after brief coronavirus respite
-50
Technology and Services Impact
March 20
Baidu’s technology and search algorithms form a core part of the digital ecosystem that supports state censorship. Its infrastructure is implicated in providing tools that enable selective filtering and the suppression of dissenting voices online.
-20
Economic and Structural Influence
March 20
Baidu’s market position and adherence to state regulatory expectations serve to structurally reinforce the authoritarian framework. While its economic influence is indirect, its alignment with state policies contributes to a system that prioritizes censorship and political control.
-30
Business Practices and Ethical Responsibility
March 20
From an ethical perspective, Baidu’s passive stance in enforcing robust content controls limits its accountability. This omission in ethical business practices indirectly assists the state in maintaining a repressive censorship regime.
China's online censors tighten grip after brief coronavirus respite
- JAN012020
An in-depth report reveals how content moderation at Baidu, Inc. involves repressive censorship measures and exploitative labor practices that disenfranchise Gen Z workers, contributing to authoritarian information control.
- JAN012017
Baidu, Inc. has been designated as one of China's national champions in AI, playing a key role in developing technologies that facilitate state surveillance, censorship, and digital authoritarian control. Its contributions have bolstered both domestic repression and the export of repressive technologies via initiatives like the Digital Silk Road.
-70
Technology and Services Impact
March 20
As a national champion in AI, Baidu has been instrumental in the development and deployment of surveillance and censorship technologies. Its involvement supports the CCP's digital authoritarian framework by enabling mass data collection and repressive digital practices, thereby contributing to authoritarian control both domestically and abroad.
-60
Economic and Structural Influence
March 20
Baidu's positioning as a strategic asset in China's digital infrastructure facilitates economic collaborations that underpin authoritarian governance. By playing a role in initiatives like the Digital Silk Road, the company contributes to the international export of repressive technologies and policies, further entrenching authoritarian influence.
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