BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer, has taken a firm stance against misinformation and online defamation. In an official statement released on its WeChat channel, BYD’s legal team announced legal action against 37 influencer accounts accused of spreading falsehoods about the company. Additionally, BYD has placed another 126 influencers under internal monitoring for allegedly sharing damaging or misleading content. The company emphasized its commitment to combating defamatory material and encouraged the public to report suspicious activities, maintaining an active financial reward program for verified leads related to online smear campaigns.
BYD declares war against false news
Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD’s Branding and PR Department officially stated to CarNewsChina that the company has recently received a lot of false news in the last couple of years which has forced the Chinese EV maker’s hand by taking legal action against influencers. “We welcome media criticism and public oversight, but we will not tolerate defamatory content or false accusations,” Li wrote. “Legal action will continue.”
According to CarNewsChina, “In the statement, BYD said it has faced repeated online attacks in recent years involving false or misleading information that it claims has harmed its brand image, disrupted market order, and negatively affected the wider automotive sector,” CarNewsChina reports. “While BYD has described these incidents as ‘organised’ or ‘coordinated,’ it has not provided public evidence supporting the coordination of such efforts.”
Brazil sues BYD over ‘slave-like conditions’
All is not song and dance for the Chinese electric vehicle maker is getting sued in Brazil for the slave-like conditions in the factory. According to a BBC report, The Public Labour Prosecutor’s Office (MPT) in the state of Bahia stated that BYD and two of its contractors are being sued due to violations of human rights and labour laws. According to MPT, 220 Chinese workers were rescued and an official probe has been ordered. MPT is seeking around $45.5 million in damages from all three companies.
Per the MPT statement, living conditions were dire, with 31 workers sharing a single toilet. The company confiscated workers’ passports and withheld up to 70% of their salaries.
