Bing: Difference between revisions

{{Incomplete}}{{ProductCargo|ArticleType=Product|Logo=Bing Fluent Logo.png|Category=Search Engine|Company=Microsoft|Description=Privacy-focused search engine|InProduction=Yes|ReleaseYear=3 June 2009|Website=https://bing.com/}}

===Censorship in China===

Microsoft has been criticized for censoring Bing search results to queries made in simplified Chinese characters which are used in mainland China. This is done to comply with the censorship requirements of the government in China.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kristof |first=Nicholas |date=November 20, 2009 |title=Boycott Microsoft Bing |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123194315/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |archive-date=November 23, 2009 |access-date=March 31, 2010 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Microsoft has not indicated a willingness to stop censoring search results in simplified Chinese characters in the wake of Google's decision to do so.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 23, 2010 |title=Activists applaud Google's censorship move, China grumbles |url=http://www.itpro.co.uk/621706/activists-applaud-googles-censorship-move-china-grumbles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028071727/http://www.itpro.co.uk/621706/activists-applaud-googles-censorship-move-china-grumbles |archive-date=October 28, 2011 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |publisher=IT PRO}}</ref> All simplified Chinese searches in Bing are censored regardless of the user's country.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 20, 2009 |title=Boycott Microsoft Bing |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123194315/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |archive-date=November 23, 2009 |access-date=March 23, 2010 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=February 12, 2014 |title=Bing's Chinese enigma |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2014/02/internet-censorship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107064213/https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2014/02/internet-censorship |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 6, 2018 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref> The English-language search results of Bing in China has been skewed to show more content from state-run media like Xinhua News Agency and ''China Daily''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Liu |first1=Charles |date=May 17, 2016 |title=Bing Goes Full-on Censorship in English Search Results Within China |url=https://thenanfang.com/search-engine-bing-com-featuring-skewed-results-china/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107175119/https://thenanfang.com/search-engine-bing-com-featuring-skewed-results-china/ |archive-date=January 7, 2018 |access-date=January 7, 2018 |publisher=The Nanfang |df=mdy-all}}</ref> On 23 January 2019, Bing was blocked in China.<ref>{{cite web |date=24 January 2019 |title=China blocks Microsoft's Bing search engine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/china-blocks-microsofts-bing-search-engine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208042303/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/china-blocks-microsofts-bing-search-engine |archive-date=December 8, 2019 |access-date=January 24, 2019 |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |agency=Reuters}}</ref> According to a source quoted by ''The Financial Times'', the order was from the Chinese government to block Bing for "illegal content".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Yuan |date=2019-01-24 |title=China blocks Bing access in curb on last foreign search engine |url=https://www.ft.com/content/714ac466-1f64-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211191251/https://www.ft.com/content/714ac466-1f64-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65 |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |work=The Financial Times}}</ref> On 24 January, Bing was accessible again in China.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lanxon |first1=Nate |date=January 24, 2019 |title=Microsoft's Bing accessible again in China after hours of outages |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsofts-bing-accessible-again-in-china-after-hours-of-outages/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125130828/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsofts-bing-accessible-again-in-china-after-hours-of-outages/ |archive-date=January 25, 2019 |access-date=25 January 2019 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}</ref>

Around 4 June 2021, the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Bing blocked image and video search results for the English term "Tank Man" in the US, UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, and other countries. Microsoft responded that "This is due to an accidental human error".<ref>{{cite web |date=4 June 2021 |title=Bing Censors Image Search for 'Tank Man' Even in US |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bing-censors-tank-man/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605072041/https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/qj8v9m/bing-censors-tank-man |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |work=Vice}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=5 June 2021 |title=Microsoft says error led to no matching Bing images for Tiananmen 'tank man' |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-bing-raises-concerns-over-lack-image-results-tiananmen-tank-man-2021-06-04/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705124052/https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-bing-raises-concerns-over-lack-image-results-tiananmen-tank-man-2021-06-04/ |archive-date=July 5, 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |publisher=Reuters}}</ref> According to an investigation by ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', the full explanation was that Microsoft accidentally applied its Chinese blacklist globally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Ryan |date=March 7, 2024 |title=How Microsoft's Bing Helps Maintain Beijing's Great Firewall |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-03-07/microsoft-s-bing-helps-maintain-china-s-great-firewall |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240324014927/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-03-07/microsoft-s-bing-helps-maintain-china-s-great-firewall |archive-date=March 24, 2024 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}</ref>

In December 2021, it was required by a "relevant government agency" to suspend its auto-suggest function in China for 30 days.<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-12-17 |title=Microsoft's Bing suspends auto suggest function in China at government's behest |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-bing-says-suspended-auto-suggest-function-china-government-behest-2021-12-17/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217062628/https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-bing-says-suspended-auto-suggest-function-china-government-behest-2021-12-17/ |archive-date=December 17, 2021 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |work=Reuters}}</ref> The search engine became partially unavailable in mainland China from 16 December until its resumption on 18 December 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lin |first=Liza |date=2021-12-17 |title=Microsoft's Bing Halts Autofill Feature in China, Citing Local Laws |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsofts-bing-halts-autofill-feature-in-china-citing-local-laws-11639743295 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20211217122907/https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsofts-bing-halts-autofill-feature-in-china-citing-local-laws-11639743295 |archivedate=December 17, 2021 |access-date=December 17, 2021 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-18 |title=微软 Bing（必应）已可正常访问 |url=https://m.ithome.com/html/593213.htm |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20211219143355/https://m.ithome.com/html/593213.htm |archivedate=December 19, 2021 |access-date=December 19, 2021 |work=IT Home |language=zh}}</ref> According to the company, a government agency in March 2022 required that it suspend auto-suggest function in China for seven days; Bing did not specify the reason.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 March 2022 |title=China requires Microsoft's Bing to suspend auto-suggest feature |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-requires-microsofts-bing-suspend-auto-suggest-feature-2022-03-21/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322044210/https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-requires-microsofts-bing-suspend-auto-suggest-feature-2022-03-21/ |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |access-date=March 22, 2022 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> In May 2022, a report released by the [[Citizen Lab]] of the University of Toronto found that Bing's autosuggestion system censored the names of Chinese Communist Party leaders, dissidents, and other persons considered politically sensitive in China in both Chinese and English, not only in China but also in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knockel |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Ruan |first2=Lotus |date=2022-05-19 |title=Bada Bing, Bada Boom: Microsoft Bing's Chinese Political Censorship of Autosuggestions in North America |url=https://citizenlab.ca/2022/05/bada-bing-bada-boom-microsoft-bings-chinese-political-censorship-autosuggestions-north-america/ |url-status=live |journal=Citizen Lab |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519143154/https://citizenlab.ca/2022/05/bada-bing-bada-boom-microsoft-bings-chinese-political-censorship-autosuggestions-north-america/ |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |access-date=May 19, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tilley |first=Aaron |date=2022-05-19 |title=Microsoft Is Censoring Searches in U.S. for Politically Sensitive Chinese Names, Researchers Say |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-said-to-censor-searches-in-u-s-for-politically-sensitive-chinese-names-11652965201 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520030332/https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-said-to-censor-searches-in-u-s-for-politically-sensitive-chinese-names-11652965201 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |access-date=2022-05-20 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

In April 2023, Citizen Lab reported that Bing was more censorious in China than native Chinese search engines.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Myers |first=Steven Lee |date=2023-04-26 |title=China's Search Engines Have More Than 66,000 Rules Controlling Content, Report Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/business/china-censored-search-engine.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429155352/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/business/china-censored-search-engine.html |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |access-date=2023-04-29 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chiu |first=Joanna |date=2024-06-27 |title=Microsoft Bing's censorship in China is even "more extreme" than Chinese companies' |url=https://restofworld.org/2024/microsoft-bing-chinese-censorship/ |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Rest of World |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Child pornography===

A study released in 2019 of Bing Image search showed that it both freely offered up images that had been tagged as illegal [[child pornography]] in national databases, as well as automatically suggesting via its auto-completion feature queries related to child pornography. This easy accessibility was considered particularly surprising since Microsoft pioneered [[PhotoDNA]], the main technology used for tracking images reported as originating from child pornography.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Constine |first=Josh |date=January 10, 2019 |title=Microsoft Bing not only shows child sexual abuse, it suggests it |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/unsafe-search/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220184238/https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/unsafe-search/ |archive-date=February 20, 2023 |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> Additionally, some arrested child pornographers reported using Bing as their main search engine for new content.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Keller |first1=Michael H. |last2=Dance |first2=Gabriel J. X. |date=November 9, 2019 |title=Child Abusers Run Rampant as Tech Companies Look the Other Way |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202200034/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.html |archive-date=December 2, 2019 |access-date=December 2, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Microsoft vowed to fix the problem and assign additional staff to combat the issue after the report was released.

===Malware===

In 2024, [[malware]] was found in the official Bing Wallpaper app that tries to change the users' browser settings in order to  set the default web browser to Microsoft Edge. It has also been found stealing Edge, Chrome, and Firefox cookies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Maruccia |first=Alfonso |date=November 21, 2024 |title=The official "Bing Wallpaper app" does some nasty, malware-like things to Windows |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/105673-official-bing-wallpaper-app-does-nasty-malware-like.html |access-date=July 4, 2025 |publisher=Techspot |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251230112244/https://www.techspot.com/news/105673-official-bing-wallpaper-app-does-nasty-malware-like.html |archive-date=30 Dec 2025}}</ref>