Letters sent to Baidu, Sogou, 360, Microsoft and Google on Yellow Breasted Buntings were rejected and returned | Why is it so difficult to create a safe online environment for Yellow-Breasted Buntings (YBB)?
2018/1/8 15:22:00 本站

By the end of 2017, CBCGDF sent official letters inviting search engine companies such as Baidu, Sogou, 360, Microsoft and Google to jointly create a safe online environment for YBB. The letters were sent twice, but were eventually rejected and returned. What could the problem be? 


On December 5, 2017, YBB was designated as “Critically Endangered” in the IUCN Redlist. However, CBCGDF found out that despite being critically endangered, the results on searching YBB on those world-leading search engines were still heavily concentrated on eating methods, sale prices, medicinal efficiencies, and so on. On December 23, 2017, CBCGDF sent official letters to Baidu, Sogou, 360 and Microsoft, hoping to strengthen joint action to raise public awareness and reinforce the measures to combat illegal hunting. CBCGDF will provide various forms of support and assistance.


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The letters of hope were sent. Unfortunately, on December 27, we have received the reply from SF Express (Chinese delivery services courier) that the search engine companies refused to receive the letters. Refuse? Baffled CBCGDF staff then made phone calls to those companies to ask. The replies were “the letter didn’t specify the receiving department or person so that it can’t be accepted”. After CBCGDF staff explained the content and the goal of the letters and asked which department would accept, the replies were still like “I can’t provide the department, the contact information, or office phone number”.


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What do we do? The YBB conservation work is still needed to continue. It has become a fact that the YBB is critically endangered and almost on the brink of extinction. Every piece of the content online on hunting, cooking and eating YBB will further make the species closer to extinction. 


Therefore, CBCGDF used EMS instead and continued to send letters using the business registered addresses, people in charge, and phone numbers. This time, we hope the letters would be accepted by the search engine companies. However, it is still not the case. The letters are still rejected due to “no recipients for the letter”. 


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This is a letter calling for a joint promotion of the conservation process on a particular species. Why is it so difficult to send? Is it because that the staff is too “inflexible”? Is it because the company deals with the problem not seriously? Or is it because the companies lack correct attitude to treat public’s feedback, the lack of a correct understanding of the national ecological civilization construction, the lack of awareness of the responsibility of ecological environment protection? We may not be able to clearly analyze the reason behind this, but an episode that takes place during this period may give us some pointers.


After the first letter being denied, on December 25, CBCGDF staff contacted Baidu.com and advised them to filter the inappropriate content of YBB. We also asked them to step up their control in this regard in the future. The staff of Baidu.com replied that the request did not belong to the scope of their business. CBCGDF had no choice but to further express consideration of paid advertisement, and use it to strengthen the correct message of YBB. The next day, on December 26, Baidu staff then come to CBCGDF and gave us the instructions. The efficiency is high.


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On January 4, 2018, CBCGDF’s paid advertisement on YBB conservation was successfully launched. Being ranked as the first place in the search, CBCGDF is gradually making success in this campaign.