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China blog 'cheats' stats get wiped

Popular sites see position plummet from 35th to 300,000th in one day

Simon Burns in Taipei, vnunet.com 10 Jan 2006
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A leading provider of global web traffic statistics temporarily removed two popular Chinese websites from its rankings, and then erased their public records following allegations of cheating, Chinese news sources say.

Chinese-language news site Sina.com reported yesterday that Alexa's ranking of BlogChina and HomeWay had plunged from approximately 35th place among all Chinese-language sites to below the 300,000th position. 

All historical statistics for the two sites were subsequently removed by Alexa, although it appears that the company has resumed counting visitors to the two sites.

Later reports on Sina.com have linked this to alleged illicit attempts to boost site rankings, noting that BlogChina's Alexa rankings had been reset once before, in January 2005.

US-based Alexa's internet traffic data counts visits to popular websites by users of the company's browser toolbar software, which is a popular download for Internet Explorer users.

In the absence of formally audited figures - a common state of affairs in developing markets like China - Alexa's statistics are often used by advertisers, investors and the media as a rough guide to the relative popularity of larger websites.

Alexa has made no public statement on the matter and did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

See also:

Asia news wrap: Friday 11 NovemberMicrosoft tries to placate Korea; Mitsubishi's crime-busting PC; Japan gets old PC auction network  11 Nov 2005
Zombie PCs20 year-old accused of running zombie network  04 Nov 2005
Malicious software can steal passwords and sensitive information. Fight back with our guide to combating spyware  26 Sep 2005
Vehicle tracking may seem like just another addition to life with Big Brother. But by installing tracking systems in fleet cars, companies are able to manage their vehicles and drivers more effectively - if they can handle the data.  27 Apr 2005
InfoSecurity Europe 2005New threats demand new practices, warns security expert  26 Apr 2005
Losses due to internet fraud reach $265m in 2004ID theft and dodgy online auctions top the bill  02 Feb 2005

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