Weibo Strengthens Management of Hot Search and Trending Topic Rankings
TechWeb, 1/29/18
Chinese microblogging platform Weibo (Nasdaq: WB), a subsidiary of Sina (Nasdaq: SINA), recently announced that in order to ensure the accuracy and reliability of hot search term and trending topic rankings, it will strengthen enforcement of its rules against manipulating search results and discussion topic rankings and will penalize the direct beneficiaries of such practices. Enforcement efforts will target discussion topics and group moderators in cases where a topic's ranking has been artificially inflated through "brushing," as well as search keywords and related pages in cases where abnormal keyword search traffic is apparent.
Weibo said that its systems will automatically detect and intercept cheating activity in real time. In terms of search results rankings, approximately 40% of keyword searches each day are flagged for traffic abnormalities and discounted for ranking purposes.
Weibo said that penalties for brushing will include 3-month bans on inclusion in hot topic and hot search leader lists for cases involving the names of celebrities, shows, or events, and 3-month bans on serving as topic moderator for accounts associated with such activities.
Editor's Note: "Brushing" refers to the practice of gaming an online ranking or reviews system by creating fake accounts, placing fake orders, posting fake ratings, or generating fake user traffic (e.g. clicks, searches, etc.) to artificially inflate the ranking/reviews on third-party platforms such as JD Crowdfunding, Alibaba's Tmall, or Weibo's "Hot Discussion Topics." Brushing services in China are typically offered for a fee by third-party service firms unaffiliated with the platform being gamed.
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