TikTok parent brings Google-like search to China — with censorship

China’s ByteDance Ltd. launched a search engine that bears a striking resemblance to Google’s clean, uncluttered home page but produces heavily sanitized results in keeping with one of the world’s most rigidly censored internet regimes.

ByteDance, the creator of popular apps including viral short video service TikTok, presents the most serious threat yet to rival Baidu Inc. Following the 2010 departure of Google from the market amid government censorship, Baidu has enjoyed a near-monopoly in internet search in China. ByteDance has yet to display sponsored products or ads in its search feed, but the results heavily prioritize content from its own Toutiao news app.

ByteDance, the world’s most valuable startup according to CB Insights, has evolved from a news aggregator into a social media Goliath — challenging the likes of Tencent Holdings Ltd.