Qihoo’s Zhou Hongyi Sues Detractor, Asks MIIT to Inspect 360 Browser

It has been two weeks since Qihoo 360 CEO Zhou Hongyi has been in the headlines, and apparently that’s too long. The bombastic Zhou has now announced that in response to Fang Zhouzi’s criticism, he has submitted Qihoo’s 360 Browser for Windows to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) so that a third-party investigation can confirm that the browser is safe. He also says he has sued both Fang Zhouzi and Baidu (for some reason) in court for hurting his reputation.

MIIT has confirmed that it is indeed investigating the browser. Zhou also said that he felt the browser ought to be judged not by whether or not it’s sending information to servers but by what information it is sending, and whether or not users are aware of it, noting that there is a button users push to confirm they are aware data is being sent.

It will be interesting to see what MIIT says, but I would prefer Zhou had chosen a totally uninvolved third party. Presumably, there are people at MIIT who work with Qihoo and people there who work with Baidu (who Zhou seems to think is pulling the strings here despite a complete lack of evidence to support that idea), so a totally unconnected and uninvolved third party would have been better. We already know that the 360 Browser employs some evil tactics to keep users from switching, and a similar investigation of its safety claims by a similarly uninvolved third party might be just what the doctor ordered.

As for the lawsuit, given that Zhou accused Fang of being on Baidu’s payroll without any evidence to support that claim, I can’t imagine his lawsuit will be in the court system long before both Fang and Baidu file countersuits. It’s no secret I’m not Zhou’s biggest fan, and once again he has chosen to take the low road here. Even if he wins and neither party counter-sues, he’s not likely to be awarded more than a few thousand RMB; the lawsuits seem like nothing more than yet another publicity stunt. Ugh.

Zhou could learn something from the folks at Baidu, who haven’t said one word about this whole ugly mess since it began. Choosing not to dignify Zhou’s actions with a response is perfect; it makes Baidu look above it all while Zhou comes off as petty and paranoid. Moreover, I have to wonder how much shouting about how other people think 360 Browser is unsafe really helps Qihoo at all. Even if Fang’s claims are proved totally wrong, isn’t Zhou just helping to publicize them by continuing to go on about it?

[via Sina Tech]