Ministry of Industry and Information Technology demanded Sunday that quarreling Internet companies Tencent and Qihoo 360 stop their aggressive competitive practices and apologize to millions of users affected by their spat. Both companies accepted the ruling and posted apologies on their websites.
Ministry of Industry and Information Technology demanded Sunday that quarreling Internet companies Tencent and Qihoo 360 stop their aggressive competitive practices and apologize to millions of users affected by their spat, the Guangzhou Daily reports. Both companies accepted the ruling and posted apologies on their websites.
Tencent said government mediation had prevented the incident from escalating, adding that it recognized the need to repair its damaged corporate image. The high-profile dispute seems to have prompted the government to step in to enforce fairer competition for users in the world's largest Internet market. Both companies had already begun toning down their public recriminations last week following criticism from Internet users and a warning from the MIIT.