Baidu announced yesterday that it’s about to launch a new algorithm update – Beacon-fire 2.0 (Fenghuo 2.0), after Baidu Beacon-fire Program listed in all Baidu’s algorithm updates, to penalize “user data theft” and “malicious hijacking”.
According to Baidu’s announcement, this new algorithm update will target two misconducts below, and any relevant websites would be removed from Baidu’s search results permanently upon being detected.
1. Stealing private data including phone numbers of visitors without permission from visitors.
2. Hijacking traffic from Baidu, including:
- Visitors being hijacked and shown fake Baidu search results when they try to leave a website which they have found in authentic Baidu mobile search;
- Visitors cannot go back to Baidu search results and get trapped in a website they have visited from Baidu’s mobile search results.
How to avoid the penalty?
1. If your website is a victim of malicious codes from others, you should use HTTPS to improve its security as soon as possible.
2. If you put malicious codes on your own pages, you should remove all of them as soon as possible.