China’s top photo agency Visual China Group accused of selling images of national flag, claiming copyright to black hole shot
- Representatives of Visual China Group summoned to explain allegations it offered ‘sensitive and harmful information’
- Shares in stock market-listed firm fall 10pc on news
China’s largest photo and media footage provider closed its website on Friday amid allegations it had been selling images of the national flag and related symbols, and falsely claiming copyright over the image of the Messier 87 black hole captured by the Event Horizon Telescope.
Shares in Visual China Group (VCG), which is listed on the Shenzhen stock market, fell by the 10 per cent daily limit on the day.
The controversy started when internet users accused the company of selling images of the state flag and national emblem, which is illegal in China.
Screenshots from the company’s website were shared by the Communist Youth League of China on Weibo, the Twitter-like microblogging service.
VCG is also accused of selling facsimiles of the logos of the Chinese police and well-known firms, including Baidu, which operates the country’s largest search engine.
In a statement issued to shareholders on Friday morning, the company said its representatives were summoned by China’s cybersecurity agency on Thursday for selling images tagged with “sensitive and harmful information”.
Scientists reveal first true image of a black hole
The company had earlier apologised in an open letter, saying the offending images had been provided by contributors.
“We failed to do our due diligence in assessment, leading to the appearance of substandard content,” it said.
In the statement to shareholders, VCG said it had decided to close its website to “thoroughly rectify the problems”.
“The company is working proactively and carefully for a rectification. We hope that we will resume our service soon,” it said.
