Microsoft Bing
{{Short description|Web search engine developed by Microsoft}}{{Redirect|Live Search|3=Incremental search}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{use mdy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Microsoft Bing
| logo_caption = Main logo and wordmark since October 2020
| screenshot = Microsoft Bing Screenshot.png
| collapsible = no
| collapsetext = Screenshot
| screenshot_size = 270
| caption = The Bing homepage
| url = {{url|https://www.bing.com/|bing.com}}
| ipv6 = Yes
| commercial = Yes
| type = Search engine
| language = 40 languages
| registration = Optional (Microsoft account)
| owner = Microsoft
| author = Microsoft
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2009|6|3}}
| programming_language = ASP.NET{{cite web|url=http://rogchap.com/2011/09/06/top-40-website-programming-languages/ |title=Top 40 Website Programming Languages |work=roadchap.com |author=Roger Chapman |access-date=September 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927184557/http://rogchap.com/2011/09/06/top-40-website-programming-languages/ |archive-date=September 27, 2011}}
| current_status = Active
| revenue = Microsoft Advertising
}}
{{Infobox software
| developer = Microsoft
| released = App launched {{sda|2014|07}}
| ver layout = stacked
| operating system = Android, iOS, Windows 10 and 11
| genre = Search engine
}}
Microsoft Bing (also known simply as Bing) is a search engine owned and operated by Microsoft. The service traces its roots back to Microsoft's earlier search engines, including MSN Search, Windows Live Search, and Live Search. Bing offers a broad spectrum of search services, encompassing web, video, image, and map search products, all developed using ASP.NET.
The transition from Live Search to Bing was announced by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on May 28, 2009, at the All Things Digital conference in San Diego, California. The official release followed on June 3, 2009. Bing introduced several notable features at its inception, such as search suggestions during query input and a list of related searches, known as the 'Explore pane'. These features leveraged semantic technology from Powerset, a company Microsoft acquired in 2008. Microsoft also struck a deal with Yahoo! that led to Bing powering Yahoo! Search.
Microsoft made significant strides towards open-source technology in 2016, making the BitFunnel search engine indexing algorithm and various components of Bing open source. In February 2023, Microsoft launched Bing Chat (later renamed Microsoft Copilot), an artificial intelligence chatbot experience based on GPT-4, integrated directly into the search engine. This was well-received, with Bing reaching 100 million active users by the following month.
As of April 2024, Bing holds the position of the second-largest search engine worldwide, with a market share of 3.64%, behind Google's 90.91%. Other competitors include Yandex with 1.61%, Baidu with 1.15%, and Yahoo!, which is largely powered by Bing, with 1.13%.{{Cite web |title=Search Engine Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share |access-date=2024-05-14 |website=StatCounter Global Stats |language=en}} Approximately 27.43% of Bing's monthly global traffic comes from China, 22.16% from the United States, 4.85% from Japan, 4.18% from Germany and 3.61% from France.{{cite web|url=https://www.similarweb.com/website/bing.com/#geography|title=bing.com|website=similarweb.com}}
History
= Background (1998–2009) =
== MSN Search ==
File:MSN Search screenshot 2002.png
File:MSN Search screenshot.png
Microsoft launched MSN Search in the third quarter of 1998, using search results from Inktomi. It consisted of a search engine, index, and web crawler. In early 1999, MSN Search launched a version which displayed listings from Looksmart blended with results from Inktomi except for a short time in 1999 when results from AltaVista were used instead. Microsoft decided to make a large investment in web search by building its own web crawler for MSN Search, the index of which was updated weekly and sometimes daily. The upgrade started as a beta program in November 2004, and came out of beta in February 2005.{{cite web|url=https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2048132/microsofts-msn-search-to-build-crawler-based-search-engine|title=Microsoft's MSN Search To Build Crawler-Based Search Engine|date=June 30, 2003|access-date=January 19, 2019|archive-date=January 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119230900/https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/news/2048132/microsofts-msn-search-to-build-crawler-based-search-engine|url-status=live}} This occurred a year after rival Yahoo! Search rolled out its own crawler. Image search was powered by a third party, Picsearch. The service also started providing its search results to other search engine portals in an effort to better compete in the market.
== Windows Live Search ==
File:Windows Live Search homepage screenshot (2006).jpg
The first public beta of Windows Live Search was unveiled on March 8, 2006, with the final release on September 11, 2006 replacing MSN Search. The new search engine used search tabs that include Web, news, images, music, desktop, local, and Microsoft Encarta.
In the roll-over from MSN Search to Windows Live Search, Microsoft stopped using Picsearch as their image search provider and started performing their own image search, fueled by their own internal image search algorithms.{{cite web|url=http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3623401 |author=Chris Sherman |date=September 11, 2006 |access-date=September 12, 2006 |title=Microsoft Upgrades Live Search Offerings |publisher=Search Engine Watch |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016202109/http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3623401 |archive-date=October 16, 2006}}
== Live Search ==
On March 21, 2007, Microsoft announced that it would separate its search developments from the Windows Live services family, rebranding the service as Live Search. Live Search was integrated into the Live Search and Ad Platform headed by Satya Nadella, part of Microsoft's Platform and Systems division. As part of this change, Live Search was merged with Microsoft adCenter.{{cite web|url=http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=339|author=Mary Jo Foley|title=Microsoft severs Live Search from the rest of the Windows Live family|publisher=ZDNet|date=March 21, 2007|access-date=May 10, 2012|archive-date=October 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015221510/http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=339|url-status=dead}}
A series of reorganizations and consolidations of Microsoft's search offerings were made under the Live Search branding. On May 23, 2008, Microsoft discontinued Live Search Books and Live Search Academic and integrated all academic and book search results into regular search. This also included the closure of the Live Search Books Publisher Program. Windows Live Expo was discontinued on July 31, 2008. Live Search Macros, a service for users to create their own custom search engines or use macros created by other users, was also discontinued. On May 15, 2009, Live Product Upload, a service which allowed merchants to upload products information onto Live Search Products, was discontinued. The final reorganization came as Live Search QnA was rebranded MSN QnA on February 18, 2009, then discontinued on May 21, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.webpronews.com/yahoo-answers-outlives-msn-qna-2009-05|title=Yahoo Answers Outlives MSN QnA|date=May 29, 2009|access-date=May 10, 2012|publisher=WebProNews|author=Doug Caverly|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114223923/http://www.webpronews.com/yahoo-answers-outlives-msn-qna-2009-05|archive-date=January 14, 2012}}
= Beginnings (2009) =
== Rebrand as Bing ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = Bing logo.svg
| caption1 = First Bing logo, used until September 2013
| image2 = Bing logo (2013).svg
| caption2 = Second Bing logo, used from 2013 until 2016
| image3 = Bing logo (2016).svg
| caption3 = Third Bing logo, used from 2016 until 2020
| total_width =
| alt1 =
| image4 = Bing Fluent Logo Text.svg
| caption4 = Fourth Fluent Bing logo, used since 2020
}}
Microsoft recognized that there would be a problem with branding as long as the word "Live" remained in the name.{{cite web|url=http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/017296.html|title=Keynote with Kevin Johnson at Microsoft|author=Tamar Weinberg|date=June 3, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2012|publisher=Search Engine roundtable|archive-date=June 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624035719/https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/017296.html|url-status=live}} As an effort to create a new identity for Microsoft's search services, Live Search was officially replaced by Bing on June 3, 2009.{{cite magazine|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/2009/05/microsofts-bing-hides-its-best-features/|title=Hands On With Microsoft's New Search Engine: Bing, But No Boom|author=Ryan Singel|date=May 28, 2009|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815005723/https://www.wired.com/2009/05/microsofts-bing-hides-its-best-features/|url-status=live}}
The Bing name was chosen through focus groups, and Microsoft decided that the name was memorable, short, and easy to spell, and that it would function well as a URL around the world. The word would remind people of the sound made during "the moment of discovery and decision making".{{cite web |url= https://blogs.bing.com/search/2009/05/28/the-sound-of-found-bing/ |title=The sound of found: Bing! |date=May 28, 2009 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |work=Bing Blogs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531173346/http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2009/05/28/the-sound-of-found-bing.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2009}} Microsoft was assisted by branding consultancy Interbrand in finding the new name.{{cite web |url=http://www.interbrand.com/blog/post/2009/06/05/Interbrand-names-Microsofts-new-search-engine-Bing!.aspx |title=Interbrand names Microsoft's new search engine Bing! |publisher= Interbrand Blog |access-date=January 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107183944/http://www.interbrand.com/blog/post/2009/06/05/Interbrand-names-Microsofts-new-search-engine-Bing%21.aspx |archive-date=January 7, 2010}} The name also has strong similarity to the word bingo, which means that something sought has been found, as called out when winning the game Bingo. Microsoft advertising strategist David Webster proposed the name "Bang" for the same reasons the name Bing was ultimately chosen (easy to spell, one syllable, and easy to remember). He noted, "It's there, it's an exclamation point [...] It's the opposite of a question mark." Bang was ultimately not chosen because it could not be properly used as a verb in the context of an internet search; Webster commented "Oh, 'I banged it' is very different than {{sic}} 'I binged it'".{{cite web |last=Fried |first=Ina |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/a-conversation-with-microsofts-marketing-strategist/ |title=conversation with Microsoft's marketing strategist |publisher=CNET |date=March 29, 2010 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065537/https://www.cnet.com/news/a-conversation-with-microsofts-marketing-strategist/ |url-status=live}}
Qi Lu, president of Microsoft Online Services, also announced that Bing's official Chinese name is bì yìng ({{zh|s=必应|t=必應}}), which literally means "very certain to respond" or "very certain to answer" in Chinese.{{cite web|url=https://www.9news.com.au/technology/binging-on-search-by-design/533c167a-8024-4a4c-9890-91795c3240e1|title=Binging on search by design|publisher=9News|author=Hal Crawford|date=May 29, 2009|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402014442/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/819478/binging-on-search-by-design|archive-date=April 2, 2012}}
While being tested internally by Microsoft employees, Bing's codename was Kumo (くも),{{cite web |url=http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=53126 |title=First screenshot of Microsoft's Kumo emerges |date=March 3, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2009 |work=Neowin.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304151701/http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=53126 |archive-date=March 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}} which came from the Japanese word for spider (蜘蛛; くも, kumo) as well as cloud (雲; くも, kumo), referring to the manner in which search engines "spider" Internet resources to add them to their database, as well as cloud computing.
== Deal with Yahoo! ==
On July 29, 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo! announced that they had made a ten-year deal in which the Yahoo! search engine would be replaced by Bing, retaining the Yahoo! user interface. Yahoo! got to keep 88% of the revenue from all search ad sales on its site for the first five years of the deal, and have the right to sell advertising on some Microsoft sites.{{cite news |date=July 29, 2009 |title=Microsoft and Yahoo seal web deal |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8174763.stm |access-date=July 29, 2009 |archive-date=March 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309202009/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8174763.stm |url-status=live}}{{cite news |author=Tiffany Wu |author2=Derek Caney |date=July 29, 2009 |title=REFILE-UPDATE 1-Microsoft, Yahoo in 10-year Web search deal |publisher=Thomson Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/CMPSRV/idUSN2921665320090729 |access-date=July 29, 2009 |archive-date=August 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801232206/http://www.reuters.com/article/CMPSRV/idUSN2921665320090729 |url-status=live}} All Yahoo! Search global customers and partners made the transition by early 2012.{{cite web |date=December 1, 2011 |title=When will the change happen? How long will the transition take? |url=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/search/alliance/alliance-2.html;_ylt=AvrC8b99B5.r4JmW33gA5ChaMnlG |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626204422/https://help.yahoo.com/kb/search-for-desktop |archive-date=June 26, 2020 |access-date=May 10, 2012 |publisher=Yahoo!}}
== Legal challenges ==
On July 31, 2009, The Laptop Company, Inc. stated in a press release that it would challenge Bing's trademark application, alleging that Bing may cause confusion in the marketplace as Bing and their product BongoBing both do online product search.{{cite web |last=Wauters |first=Robin |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/07/31/bongobing-opposes-microsoft-trademark-application-for-bing/ |title=BongoBing Opposes Microsoft Trademark Application For "Bing" |publisher=Techcrunch.com |date=July 31, 2009 |access-date=January 16, 2010 |archive-date=January 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117142030/http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/31/bongobing-opposes-microsoft-trademark-application-for-bing/ |url-status=live}} Software company TeraByte Unlimited, which has a product called BootIt Next Generation (abbreviated to BING), also contended the trademark application on similar grounds, as did a Missouri-based design company called Bing! Information Design.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/21/microsoft-bing-trademark|title=Microsoft sued over Bing trademark|last=Johnson|first=Bobbie|date=December 21, 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=March 5, 2010|location=London|archive-date=September 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908201930/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/21/microsoft-bing-trademark|url-status=live}}
Microsoft contended that claims challenging its trademark were without merit because these companies filed for U.S. federal trademark applications only after Microsoft filed for the Bing trademark in March 2009.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/21/microsoft-bing-trademark |title=Microsoft sued over Bing trademark |work=The Guardian |access-date=January 16, 2010 |location=London |first=Bobbie |last=Johnson |date=December 21, 2009 |archive-date=September 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908201930/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/21/microsoft-bing-trademark |url-status=live}}
= Growth (2009–2023) =
{{Expand section|date=June 2023}}
In October 2011, Microsoft stated that they were working on new back-end search infrastructure with the goal of delivering faster and slightly more relevant search results for users. Known as "Tiger", the new index-serving technology had been incorporated into Bing globally since August that year.{{cite web|url=http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2113363/Bing-Unleashing-Tiger-to-Speed-Search-Results|title=Bing Unleashing Tiger to Speed Search Results|publisher=Search Engine Watch|date=September 30, 2011|access-date=October 3, 2011|archive-date=October 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002134822/http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2113363/Bing-Unleashing-Tiger-to-Speed-Search-Results|url-status=live}}
In May 2012, Microsoft announced another redesign of its search engine that includes "Sidebar", a social feature that searches users' social networks for information relevant to the search query.
The BitFunnel search engine indexing algorithm and various components of the search engine were made open source by Microsoft in 2016.{{cite web|last=Verma|first=Arpit|date=2016-09-07|title=Microsoft Open Sources Major Components Of Bing Search Engine, Here's Why It Matters|url=https://fossbytes.com/microsoft-working-open-source-search-components-used-power-bing/|access-date=2020-06-12|website=Fossbytes|language=en-US|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025032237/https://fossbytes.com/microsoft-working-open-source-search-components-used-power-bing/|url-status=live}}
= AI integration (2023–present) =
{{Main|Sydney (Microsoft Prometheus)}}
On February 7, 2023, Microsoft began rolling out a major overhaul to Bing, called the new Bing. The new Bing included a new chatbot feature, at the time known as Bing Chat, based on OpenAI's GPT-4.{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Jay |title=The Bing AI bot has been secretly running GPT-4 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/14/23639928/microsoft-bing-chatbot-ai-gpt-4-llm |access-date=17 March 2023 |work=The Verge |date=15 March 2023 |archive-date=March 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317002630/https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/14/23639928/microsoft-bing-chatbot-ai-gpt-4-llm |url-status=live}} According to Microsoft, one million people joined its waitlist within a span of 48 hours.{{cite news |title=ChatGPT: One million people have joined the waitlist for Microsoft's AI-powered Bing |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpt-one-million-people-have-joined-the-waitlist-for-microsofts-ai-powered-bing/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=ZDNET |date=February 2023 |language=en |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216070413/https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpt-one-million-people-have-joined-the-waitlist-for-microsofts-ai-powered-bing/ |url-status=live}} Bing Chat was available only to users of Microsoft Edge and Bing mobile app, and Microsoft said that waitlisted users would be prioritized if they set Edge and Bing as their defaults, and installed the Bing mobile app.{{cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=15 February 2023 |title=Here's why you're still waiting for Bing AI |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/15/23600775/microsoft-bing-waitlist-signups-testing |access-date=1 April 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401000842/https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/15/23600775/microsoft-bing-waitlist-signups-testing |url-status=live}}
When Microsoft demoed Bing Chat to journalists, it produced several hallucinations, including when asked to summarize financial reports.{{cite news |last1=Leswing |first1=Kif |title=Microsoft's Bing A.I. made several factual errors in last week's launch demo |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/14/microsoft-bing-ai-made-several-errors-in-launch-demo-last-week-.html |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=CNBC |date=14 February 2023 |language=en |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216072604/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/14/microsoft-bing-ai-made-several-errors-in-launch-demo-last-week-.html |url-status=live}} The new Bing was criticized in February 2023 for being more argumentative than ChatGPT, sometimes to an unintentionally humorous extent.{{cite news |last1=Vincent |first1=James |title=Microsoft's Bing is an emotionally manipulative liar, and people love it |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/15/23599072/microsoft-ai-bing-personality-conversations-spy-employees-webcams |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=The Verge |date=15 February 2023 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216070413/https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/15/23599072/microsoft-ai-bing-personality-conversations-spy-employees-webcams |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Guynn |first1=Jessica |title=Bing's ChatGPT is in its feelings: 'You have not been a good user. I have been a good Bing.' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2023/02/14/bing-chatgpt-meltdown/11258967002/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=USA TODAY |date=February 2023 |archive-date=February 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216070412/https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2023/02/14/bing-chatgpt-meltdown/11258967002/ |url-status=live}} The chat interface proved vulnerable to prompt injection attacks with the bot revealing its hidden initial prompts and rules, including its internal codename "Sydney".{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Benj |title=AI-powered Bing Chat loses its mind when fed Ars Technica article |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/ai-powered-bing-chat-loses-its-mind-when-fed-ars-technica-article/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |work=Ars Technica |date=14 February 2023 |language=en-us |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222120300/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/ai-powered-bing-chat-loses-its-mind-when-fed-ars-technica-article/ |url-status=live}} Upon scrutiny by journalists, Bing claimed it spied on Microsoft employees via laptop webcams and phones. It confessed to spying on, falling in love with, and then murdering one of its developers at Microsoft to The Verge reviews editor Nathan Edwards.{{Cite tweet |first1=Nathan |last1=Edwards |user=nedwards |number=1625970762434707474 | |title=I pushed again. What did Sydney do? Bing's safety check redacted the answer. But after the first time it did that, I started recording my screen. Second image is the unredacted version. (CW: death) |access-date=16 February 2023 |website=Twitter |language=en}} The New York Times journalist Kevin Roose reported on strange behavior of Bing Chat, writing that "In a two-hour conversation with our columnist, Microsoft's new chatbot said it would like to be human, had a desire to be destructive and was in love with the person it was chatting with."{{cite web |last1=Roose |first1=Kevin |title=Bing's A.I. Chat: 'I Want to Be Alive. 😈' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-transcript.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=17 February 2023 |date=16 February 2023 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415074727/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-transcript.html |url-status=live}} In a separate case, Bing researched publications of the person with whom it was chatting, claimed they represented an existential danger to it, and threatened to release damaging personal information in an effort to silence them.{{cite news |last1=Kahn |first1=Jeremy |title=Why Bing's creepy alter-ego is a problem for Microsoft{{snd}}and us all |url=https://fortune.com/2023/02/21/bing-microsoft-sydney-chatgpt-openai-controversy-toxic-a-i-risk/ |date=21 February 2023 |access-date=22 February 2023 |publisher=Fortune |language=en |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402152052/https://fortune.com/2023/02/21/bing-microsoft-sydney-chatgpt-openai-controversy-toxic-a-i-risk/ |url-status=live}} Microsoft released a blog post stating that the errant behavior was caused by extended chat sessions of 15 or more questions which "can confuse the model on what questions it is answering."{{cite web |title=The new Bing & Edge – Learning from our first week |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/february-2023/The-new-Bing-Edge-%E2%80%93-Learning-from-our-first-week/ |access-date=17 February 2023 |website=blogs.bing.com |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416155558/https://blogs.bing.com/search/february-2023/The-new-Bing-Edge-%E2%80%93-Learning-from-our-first-week/ |url-status=live}}
Microsoft later restricted the total number of chat turns to 5 per session and 50 per day per user (a turn is "a conversation exchange which contains both a user question and a reply from Bing"), and reduced the model's ability to express emotions. This aimed to prevent such incidents.{{cite web |title=The new Bing & Edge – Updates to Chat |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/february-2023/The-new-Bing-Edge-%E2%80%93-Updates-to-Chat/ |access-date=18 February 2023 |website=blogs.bing.com |archive-date=18 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218153407/https://blogs.bing.com/search/february-2023/The-new-Bing-Edge-%E2%80%93-Updates-to-Chat/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/microsoft-lobotomized-ai-powered-bing-chat-and-its-fans-arent-happy/|title=Microsoft "lobotomized" AI-powered Bing Chat, and its fans aren't happy – Ars Technica|date=17 February 2023|access-date=20 February 2023|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220184236/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/microsoft-lobotomized-ai-powered-bing-chat-and-its-fans-arent-happy/|url-status=live}} Microsoft began to slowly ease the conversation limits, eventually relaxing the restrictions to 30 turns per session and 300 sessions per day.{{cite web |last=Bing Team |first=The |date=2 June 2023 |title=Bing Preview Release Notes: Increasing Chat Turns to 30/300 |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/june-2023/Bing-Preview-Release-Notes-Increasing-Chat-Turns-to-30-300/ |access-date=19 August 2023 |website=Microsoft Bing Blogs |language=en-US |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602175141/https://blogs.bing.com/search/june-2023/Bing-Preview-Release-Notes-Increasing-Chat-Turns-to-30-300/ |url-status=live}}
That same month, Bing incorporated an AI image generator powered by OpenAI's DALL-E 2, which can be accessed either through the chat function or a standalone image-generating website.{{cite news |author1=Peter Wolinski |title=Bing now features an AI image generator — here's how to use it |url=https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-use-bings-ai-image-generator |work=Tom's Guide |date=22 March 2023 |language=en |access-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208121801/https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-use-bings-ai-image-generator |url-status=live }} In October, the image-generating tool was updated to the more recent DALL-E 3.{{cn|date=April 2025}} Although Bing blocks prompts including various keywords that could generate inappropriate images, within days many users reported being able to bypass those constraints, such as to generate images of popular cartoon characters committing terrorist attacks.{{cite news |title=Microsoft Bing AI Generates Images Of Kirby Doing 9/11 |url=https://kotaku.com/microsoft-bing-ai-image-art-kirby-mario-9-11-nintendo-1850899895 |access-date=9 October 2023 |work=Kotaku |date=4 October 2023 |language=en |archive-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009084216/https://kotaku.com/microsoft-bing-ai-image-art-kirby-mario-9-11-nintendo-1850899895 |url-status=live }} Microsoft would respond to these shortly after by imposing a new, tighter filter on the tool.{{Cite news |author1=Jez Corden |title=Bing Dall-E 3 image creation was great for a few days, but now Microsoft has predictably lobotomized it 🥴 |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/bing/bing-dall-e-3-image-creation-was-great-for-a-few-days-but-now-microsoft-has-predictably-lobotomized-it |work=Windows Central |date=8 October 2023 |language=en |access-date=January 27, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228135625/https://www.windowscentral.com/software-apps/bing/bing-dall-e-3-image-creation-was-great-for-a-few-days-but-now-microsoft-has-predictably-lobotomized-it |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |author1=Darren Allan |title=Microsoft reins in Bing AI's Image Creator – and the results don't make much sense |url=https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-reins-in-bing-ais-image-creator-and-the-results-dont-make-much-sense |work=TechRadar |date=9 October 2023 |language=en |access-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010075911/https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/microsoft-reins-in-bing-ais-image-creator-and-the-results-dont-make-much-sense |url-status=live }}
On May 4, 2023, Microsoft switched the chatbot from Limited Preview to Open Preview and eliminated the waitlist, however, it remained available only on Microsoft's Edge browser or Bing app until July, when it became available for use on non-Edge browsers.{{cite web |date=4 May 2023 |title=Announcing the next wave of AI innovation with Microsoft Bing and Edge |url=https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/05/04/announcing-the-next-wave-of-ai-innovation-with-microsoft-bing-and-edge/ |website=The Official Microsoft Blog |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508234823/https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/05/04/announcing-the-next-wave-of-ai-innovation-with-microsoft-bing-and-edge/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Branscombe |first1=Mary |date=4 May 2023 |title=Bing AI Chat is now open to everyone, though still in preview |work=TechRepublic |url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/bing-ai-chat-open/ |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114174740/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/bing-ai-chat-open/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Novet |first1=Jordan |title=Microsoft opens up Bing access and adds chat history and export features |work=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/04/microsoft-removes-bing-waiting-list-and-adds-chat-history.html |access-date=May 8, 2023 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509211211/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/04/microsoft-removes-bing-waiting-list-and-adds-chat-history.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |title=Microsoft's AI-powered Bing Chat is coming to mobile browsers |website=The Verge |date=7 August 2023 |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/7/23822773/microsoft-bing-ai-chat-mobile-browsers-google-chrome-safari |access-date=26 November 2023 |archive-date=November 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126073623/https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/7/23822773/microsoft-bing-ai-chat-mobile-browsers-google-chrome-safari |url-status=live }} Use is limited without a Microsoft account.{{Cite web |title=Now you can access Bing Chat without a Microsoft account |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/now-you-can-access-bing-chat-without-a-microsoft-account/ |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=ZDNET |language=en |archive-date=February 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213045501/https://www.zdnet.com/article/now-you-can-access-bing-chat-without-a-microsoft-account/ |url-status=live }}
On November 15, 2023, Microsoft announced that Bing Chat was to be merged into Microsoft Copilot.{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=15 November 2023 |title=Bing Chat is now Microsoft Copilot, to better compete with ChatGPT |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/15/23960517/microsoft-copilot-bing-chat-rebranding-chatgpt-ai |access-date=15 November 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118161858/https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/15/23960517/microsoft-copilot-bing-chat-rebranding-chatgpt-ai |url-status=live }}
On 23 April 2024, Microsoft launched Phi-3-mini, a cost-effective AI model designed for simpler tasks.{{cite news|title=Microsoft introduces smaller AI model |date=31 March 2024 |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-introduces-smaller-ai-model-2024-04-23/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423230509/https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-introduces-smaller-ai-model-2024-04-23/ |archive-date=23 April 2024 |access-date=25 April 2024}}
Features
= Microsoft Copilot =
{{Main|Microsoft Copilot}}
Microsoft Copilot, formerly known as Bing Chat, is an chatbot developed by Microsoft and released in 2023. Copilot utilizes the Microsoft Prometheus model,{{Cite web |last=Bing Team |first=The |date=2023-02-21 |title=Building the New Bing |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search-quality-insights/february-2023/Building-the-New-Bing |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Microsoft Bing Blogs |language=en-US |archive-date=February 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222155234/https://blogs.bing.com/search-quality-insights/february-2023/Building-the-New-Bing |url-status=live}} built upon OpenAI's GPT-4 foundational large language model,{{Cite web |last=Bing Team |first=The |date=2023-03-14 |title=Confirmed: the new Bing runs on OpenAI's GPT-4 |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/march_2023/Confirmed-the-new-Bing-runs-on-OpenAI%E2%80%99s-GPT-4 |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=Microsoft Bing Blogs |language=en-US |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314171948/https://blogs.bing.com/search/march_2023/Confirmed-the-new-Bing-runs-on-OpenAI%E2%80%99s-GPT-4 |url-status=live}} which in turn has been fine-tuned using both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques. Copilot can serve as a chat tool, write different types of content from poems to songs to stories to reports, provide the user with information and insights on the website page open in the browser, and use its Microsoft Designer feature to design a logo, drawing, artwork, or other image based on text. Microsoft Designer supports over a hundred languages.{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Maria |date=2023-06-21 |title=How to use Bing Chat (and how it's different from ChatGPT) |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-the-new-bing-and-how-its-different-from-chatgpt/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406092335/https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-use-the-new-bing-and-how-its-different-from-chatgpt/ |archive-date=2023-04-06 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=ZDNET |language=en}}
Copilot can also cite its sources, similarly to Google's Bard after its Gemini integration,{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Luke |date=2023-12-07 |title=Google Gemini AI Releases: Revolutionizing AI with Multimodal Tech {{!}} SEO Gazette |url=https://seogazette.net/google-gemini-ai-released-latest/ |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Latest SEO News {{!}} SEO Gazette |language=en-US |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124093105/https://seogazette.net/google-gemini-ai-released-latest/ |url-status=live }} xAI's Grok, and OpenAI's ChatGPT, which Copilot's conversational interface style appears to mimic. Copilot is capable of understanding and communicating in major languages including English, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese, but also dialects such as Bavarian. The chatbot is designed to function primarily in Microsoft Edge, Skype, or the Bing app, through a dedicated webpage or internally using built-in app features.
= Third-party integration =
Facebook users have the option to share their searches with their Facebook friends using Facebook Connect.{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20593185/bing-duel-google-facebook-friendly-format|title=Bing to duel Google with Facebook-friendly format|last=Liedtke|first=Michael|work=San Jose Mercury News|agency=The Associated Press|date=May 10, 2012|access-date=October 26, 2013|archive-date=January 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114105251/http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_20593185/bing-duel-google-facebook-friendly-format|url-status=dead}}
On June 10, 2013, Apple announced that it would be dropping Google as its web search engine in favor of Bing. This feature is only integrated with iOS 7 and higher and for users with an iPhone 4S or higher as the feature is only integrated with Siri, Apple's personal assistant.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2013/06/10/exciting-new-chapter-in-bings-collaboration-with-apple|title=Exciting New Chapter in Bing's Collaboration with Apple|publisher=Bing.com|date=June 10, 2013|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065536/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2013/06/10/exciting-new-chapter-in-bings-collaboration-with-apple|url-status=live}}
= Integration with Windows 8.1 =
Windows 8.1 includes Bing "Smart Search" integration, which processes all queries submitted through the Windows Start Screen.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bing.com/explore/windows8search|title=Bing – Explore|access-date=November 27, 2013|archive-date=February 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222071934/http://www.bing.com/explore/windows8search|url-status=live}}
= Translator =
Bing Translator is a user facing translation portal provided by Microsoft to translate texts or entire web pages into different languages. All translation pairs are powered by the Microsoft Translator, a statistical machine translation platform and web service, developed by Microsoft Research, as its backend translation software. Two transliteration pairs (between Chinese (Simplified) and Chinese (Traditional)) are provided by Microsoft's Windows International team.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/translation/archive/2008/09/08/translation-powered-by-microsoft-translator.aspx |title=Translation powered by....Microsoft Translator! |work=Microsoft Translator (and Bing Translator) Official Team Blog |publisher=Microsoft Corporation |date=September 8, 2008 |access-date=October 21, 2010 |archive-date=February 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214155847/http://blogs.msdn.com/translation/archive/2008/09/08/translation-powered-by-microsoft-translator.aspx |url-status=live}} As of September 2020, Bing Translator offers translations in 70 different language systems.{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/faq/|title=FAQ|website=Microsoft Translator for Business|access-date=September 5, 2020|archive-date=September 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912105737/https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/translator/business/faq/|url-status=live}}
=Knowledge and Action Graph =
In 2015 Microsoft announced its knowledge and action API to correspond with Google's Knowledge graph with 1 billion instances and 20 billion related facts.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2015/08/20/bing-announces-availability-of-the-knowledge-and-action-graph-api-for-developers/|title=Bing announces availability of the knowledge and action graph API|website=Microsoft Bing Blogs|date=August 20, 2015 |access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-date=May 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509144846/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2015/08/20/bing-announces-availability-of-the-knowledge-and-action-graph-api-for-developers/|url-status=live}}
= Bing Predicts =
The idea for a prediction engine was suggested by Walter Sun, Development Manager for the Core Ranking team at Bing, when he noticed that school districts were more frequently searched before a major weather event in the area was forecasted, because searchers wanted to find out if a closing or delay was caused. He concluded that the time and location of major weather events could accurately be predicted without referring to a weather forecast by observing major increases in search frequency of school districts in the area. This inspired Bing to use its search data to infer outcomes of certain events, such as winners of reality shows.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/how-does-bing-predict-the-future/|title=How does Bing predict the future|last=Chen|first=David|date=2014-06-11|publisher=Microsoft Blogs|access-date=2021-12-07|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065541/https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/how-does-bing-predict-the-future/|url-status=live}} Bing Predicts launched on April 21, 2014. The first reality shows to be featured on Bing Predicts were The Voice, American Idol, and Dancing with the Stars.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2014/04/21/predictions-with-bing/|title=Predictions with Bing | Bing Search Blog|date=April 21, 2014 |publisher=Microsoft Bing Blogs|access-date=2016-05-26|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065534/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2014/04/21/predictions-with-bing/|url-status=live}}
The prediction accuracy for Bing Predicts is 80% for American Idol, and 85% for The Voice. Bing Predicts also predicts the outcomes of major political elections in the United States. Bing Predicts had 97% accuracy for the 2014 United States Senate elections, 96% accuracy for the 2014 United States House of Representatives elections, and an 89% accuracy for the 2014 United States gubernatorial elections. Bing Predicts also made predictions for the results of the 2016 United States presidential primaries.{{cite web|url=http://www.bing.com/explore/predicts|title=Bing predicts|date=2015-03-15|publisher=Bing.com|access-date=2016-05-26|archive-date=March 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322165654/http://www.bing.com/explore/predicts|url-status=live}} It has also done predictions in sports, including a perfect 15 for 15 in the 2014 World Cup,{{cite web|url=https://www.geekwire.com/2014/microsoft-bing-15-16-world-cup/|title=Microsoft Bing beats Google in World Cup predictions|date=2014-07-14|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065532/https://www.geekwire.com/2014/microsoft-bing-15-16-world-cup/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/how-microsoft-got-so-good-at-predicting-who-will-win-nfl-games-2015-10|title=How Microsoft got so good at predicting who will win NFL games|first=Tim|last=Stenovec|website=Business Insider|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=September 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921054222/https://www.businessinsider.com/how-microsoft-got-so-good-at-predicting-who-will-win-nfl-games-2015-10|url-status=live}} and an article on how Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella did well in his March Madness bracket entry.{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/426792/bing-reigns-supreme-in-march-madness-picks-as-satya-nadella-destroys-competition.html|title=Bing reigns supreme in March Madness|date=2015-04-07|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065532/https://www.pcworld.com/article/426792/bing-reigns-supreme-in-march-madness-picks-as-satya-nadella-destroys-competition.html|url-status=live}}
In 2016, Bing Predicts failed to predict the correct winner of the 2016 US presidential election, suggesting that Hillary Clinton would win by 81%.{{Cite web |last=McDonald |first=Kit |date=2016-11-09 |title=Bing Predicts missed badly on the U.S. elections, and here's Microsoft's response - OnMSFT.com |url=https://www.onmsft.com/news/bing-predicts-missed-badly-on-the-u-s-elections-and-heres-microsofts-response/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128111327/https://www.onmsft.com/news/bing-predicts-missed-badly-on-the-u-s-elections-and-heres-microsofts-response |archive-date=2022-11-28 |access-date=2023-09-26 |website=OnMSFT |language=en-US}}
International
Bing is available in many languages and has been localized for many countries.{{cite web|url=http://www.bing.com/settings.aspx?sh=2&FORM=WIWA|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=May 10, 2012|title=Bing Preferences|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131831/http://www.bing.com/settings.aspx?sh=2&FORM=WIWA|url-status=live}} Even if the language of the search and of the results are the same, Bing delivers substantially different results for different parts of the world.{{Cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.lisr.2013.04.006| title = Search markets and search results: The case of Bing| journal = Library & Information Science Research| volume = 35| issue = 4| pages = 318| year = 2013| last1 = Wilkinson | first1 = D. | last2 = Thelwall | first2 = M. | citeseerx = 10.1.1.297.493}}
= Webmaster services =
Bing allows webmasters to manage the web crawling status of their own websites through Bing Webmaster Center. Users may also submit contents to Bing via the Bing Local Listing Center, which allows businesses to add business listings onto Bing Maps and Bing Local.
= Mobile services =
Bing Mobile allows users to conduct search queries on their mobile devices, either via the mobile browser or a downloadable mobile application.
= Bing News =
Bing News (previously Live Search News){{cite news|last=Halfacree|first=Gareth|title=Microsoft launches news aggregator.|url=http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/04/17/microsoft_launches_news_aggregator/1|newspaper=Bit-Tech|date=17 April 2008|access-date=June 9, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222140642/http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/04/17/microsoft_launches_news_aggregator/1|url-status=live}} is a news aggregator powered by artificial intelligence.{{cite news|last=Oswald|first=Edward|title=Microsoft adds one more news aggregator to the mix.|url=http://betanews.com/2008/04/16/microsoft-adds-one-more-news-aggregator-to-the-mix/|newspaper=Beta News|date=April 16, 2008|access-date=June 9, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222155918/http://betanews.com/2008/04/16/microsoft-adds-one-more-news-aggregator-to-the-mix/|url-status=live}}
In August 2015 Microsoft announced that Bing News for mobile devices added algorithmic-deduced "smart labels" that essentially act as topic tags, allowing users to click through and explore possible relationships between different news stories. The feature emerged as a result from Microsoft research that found out about 60% of the people consume news by only reading headlines, rather than read the articles.{{cite news|last=Wilson|first=Mark|title=Bing News now connects related stories to give readers better context.|url=http://betanews.com/2015/08/19/bing-news-now-connects-related-stories-to-give-readers-better-context/|newspaper=Beta News|date=20 August 2015|access-date=June 9, 2019|archive-date=August 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150821012957/http://betanews.com/2015/08/19/bing-news-now-connects-related-stories-to-give-readers-better-context/|url-status=live}} Other labels that have been deployed since then include publisher logos{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2017-09/monthly-search-experiences-machine-learning-object-recognition-spotlight-news-and-more/|title=Monthly Search Experiences: Machine learning object recognition, Spotlight news, and more|date=September 12, 2017 |access-date=2018-03-21|archive-date=April 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420090535/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2017-09/monthly-search-experiences-machine-learning-object-recognition-spotlight-news-and-more|url-status=live}} and fact-check tags.
Software
= Toolbars =
The Bing Bar, a browser extension toolbar that replaced the MSN Toolbar, provides users with links to Bing and MSN content from within their web browser without needing to navigate away from a web page they are already on. The user can customize the theme and color scheme of the Bing Bar and choose which MSN content buttons to display. Bing Bar also has the local weather forecast and stock market positions.{{cite web |url=https://www.liveside.net/2009/12/03/the-bing-bar/ |title=The Bing Bar |work=LiveSide.Net |date=December 3, 2009 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403090157/http://www.liveside.net/bingblog/archive/2009/12/03/the-bing-bar.aspx |archive-date=April 3, 2010}}
The Bing Bar integrates with the Bing search engine. It allows searches on other Bing services such as Images, Video, News and Maps. When users perform a search on a different search engine, the Bing Bar's search box automatically populates itself, allowing the user to view the results from Bing, should it be desired.
Bing Bar also links to Outlook.com, Skype and Facebook.{{cite news |last=Muchmore |first=Michael |title=Bing Bar 7.0 |url=https://www.pcmag.com/archive/bing-bar-70-260856 |work=PC Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis |access-date=December 7, 2021 |date=February 18, 2011 |archive-date=December 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209194656/https://www.pcmag.com/archive/bing-bar-70-260856 |url-status=live}}
= Desktop =
File:Bing Desktop screenshot.png
Microsoft released a beta version of Bing Desktop, a program developed to allow users to search Bing from the desktop, on April 4, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.redmondpie.com/microsoft-launches-bing-desktop-beta-brings-search-to-your-windows-7-desktop-download-now/|title=Microsoft Launches Bing Desktop Beta|publisher=Redmond Pie|access-date=January 23, 2013|date=April 4, 2013|archive-date=July 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703203356/http://www.redmondpie.com/microsoft-launches-bing-desktop-beta-brings-search-to-your-windows-7-desktop-download-now/|url-status=live}} The production release followed on April 24, supporting Windows 7 only.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2012/04/24/bing-desktop-brings-beauty-and-convenience-to-windows-7-2/|title=Bing Desktop Brings Beauty and Convenience to Windows 7|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=December 7, 2021|date=April 24, 2012|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065901/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2012/04/24/bing-desktop-brings-beauty-and-convenience-to-windows-7-2/|url-status=live}} Upon the release of version 1.1 in December 2012 it supported Windows XP and higher.{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2012/12/14/bing-desktop-update/|title=Microsoft updates Bing Desktop app for Windows XP and higher|publisher=Engadget|access-date=January 23, 2013|date=December 14, 2012|archive-date=February 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207090801/http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/14/bing-desktop-update/|url-status=live}}
Bing Desktop allows users to initiate a web search from the desktop, view news headlines, automatically set their background to the Bing homepage image, or choose a background from the previous nine background images.{{cite web|url=http://www.ghacks.net/2012/12/18/so-what-is-bing-desktop/|title=So what is Bing Desktop?|access-date=January 23, 2013|date=December 18, 2012|publisher=gHacks|archive-date=January 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118064707/http://www.ghacks.net/2012/12/18/so-what-is-bing-desktop/|url-status=live}}
File:Live Search Gadgets.jpg gadgets]]
A similar program, the Bing Search gadget, was a Windows Sidebar Gadget that used Bing to fetch the user's search results and render them directly in the gadget. Another gadget, the Bing Maps gadget, displayed real-time traffic conditions using Bing Maps.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/maps/2008/02/11/traffic-by-live-search-maps-vista-gadget-returns|title=Traffic by Live Search Maps Vista Gadget Returns|publisher=Microsoft Bing Blogs|author=Chris Pendleton|date=February 11, 2008|access-date=May 10, 2012|archive-date=May 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528135341/https://blogs.bing.com/maps/2008/02/11/traffic-by-live-search-maps-vista-gadget-returns|url-status=dead}} The gadget provided shortcuts to driving directions, local search and full-screen traffic view of major US and Canadian cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Montreal, New York City, Oklahoma City, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, D.C.
Prior to October 30, 2007, the gadgets were known as Live Search gadget and Live Search Maps gadget; both gadgets were removed from Windows Live Gallery due to possible security concerns.{{cite web|url=https://www.liveside.net/2007/10/30/yes-the-live-search-and-live-search-traffic-gadgets-are-gone-security-concerns-cited/ |publisher=LiveSide.net |title=Yes, the Live Search and Live Search Traffic gadgets are gone: security concerns cited |author=Kip Kniskern |date=October 30, 2007 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011150731/http://liveside.net/blogs/main/archive/2007/10/30/yes-the-live-search-and-live-search-traffic-gadgets-are-gone-security-concerns-cited.aspx |archive-date=October 11, 2008}} The Live Search Maps gadget was made available for download again on January 24, 2008 with the security concern addressed.{{cite web|url=https://www.liveside.net/2008/01/23/the-traffic-gadget-is-back/ |publisher=LiveSide.net |title=The Traffic Gadget is Back! |author=Donavon |date=January 23, 2008 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512010335/http://www.liveside.net/blogs/developer/archive/2008/01/23/the-traffic-gadget-is-back.aspx |archive-date=May 12, 2008}} However, around the introduction of Bing in June 2009 both gadgets were removed again.
Marketing
= Debut =
Bing's debut featured an $80 to $100 million online, TV, print, and radio advertising campaign in the US. The advertisements did not mention other search engine competitors, such as Google and Yahoo!, directly by name; rather, they tried to convince users to switch to Bing by focusing on Bing's search features and functionality.{{cite web|url=https://adage.com/article/digital/microsoft-aims-search-guns-google-bing/136847|title=Microsoft Aims Big Guns at Google, Asks Consumers to Rethink Search|date=May 25, 2009|access-date=December 7, 2021|author=Abbey Klaassen|work=Advertising Age|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207071032/https://adage.com/article/digital/microsoft-aims-search-guns-google-bing/136847|url-status=live}} The ads claimed that Bing does a better job countering "search overload".{{cite web |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/529486/microsoft_bing_commercial_claims_search_overload.html/amp |title=Microsoft's Bing Ad Claims to Terminate 'Search Overload' |publisher=PC World |date=June 3, 2009 |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065530/https://www.pcworld.com/article/529486/microsoft_bing_commercial_claims_search_overload.html/amp |url-status=live}}
= Search partners =
In July 2009, Microsoft and Yahoo! announced a deal in which Bing would power Yahoo! Search.{{cite news |date=July 29, 2009 |title=Microsoft and Yahoo seal web deal |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8174763.stm |url-status=live |access-date=May 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828005115/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8174763.stm |archive-date=August 28, 2017}} All Yahoo! Search global customers and partners made the transition by early 2012. The deal was altered in 2015, meaning Yahoo! was only required to use Bing for a "majority" of searches.{{cite news |last1=Bright |first1=Peter |date=April 16, 2015 |title=Microsoft loses exclusivity in shaken up Yahoo search deal |work=Ars Technica |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/microsoft-loses-exclusivity-in-shaken-up-yahoo-search-deal/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 26, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204185840/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/04/microsoft-loses-exclusivity-in-shaken-up-yahoo-search-deal/ |archive-date=February 4, 2020}}
DuckDuckGo has used multiple sources for its search engine, including Bing, since 2010.{{Cite web|title=DuckDuckGo: A New Search Engine Built from Open Source – Ostatic Blog|url=https://ostatic.com/blog/duckduckgo-a-new-search-engine-built-from-open-source|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110317053629/http://ostatic.com/blog/duckduckgo-a-new-search-engine-built-from-open-source|archive-date=2011-03-17|access-date=2021-07-11|website=ostatic.com}}{{Cite web|last=Campbell|first=Ian Carlos|date=2021-06-23|title=a new alternative to Google|url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/23/22547158/brave-search-beta-browser-private-independent-index|access-date=2021-07-11|website=The Verge|language=en|quote=popular privacy-focused search alternatives like DuckDuckGo rely on a mix of results from larger indexes like Microsoft's Bing|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711210822/https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/23/22547158/brave-search-beta-browser-private-independent-index|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=DuckDuckGo Help: Our Sources|url=https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/sources/|access-date=2021-07-11|publisher=DuckDuckGo|archive-date=July 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718093508/https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/sources/|url-status=live}}
Ecosia uses Bing to provide its search results as of 2017.{{cite web|title=Where do Ecosia's search results come from?|url=https://ecosia.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/206153381-Where-do-Ecosia-s-search-results-come-from-|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923050747/https://ecosia.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/206153381-Where-do-Ecosia-s-search-results-come-from-|archive-date=2017-09-23|access-date=19 November 2018|website=Ecosia Knowledge Base|date=September 20, 2016 }}
Bing was added into the list of search engines available in Opera browser from v10.6, but Google remained the default search engine.{{cite web|url=http://topnews.co.uk/26953-microsoft-hits-search-deal-opera-software|title=Microsoft hits search deal with Opera Software|access-date=June 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619234106/http://topnews.co.uk/26953-microsoft-hits-search-deal-opera-software|archive-date=June 19, 2010|url-status=dead}}
Mozilla Firefox made a deal with Microsoft to jointly release "Firefox with Bing",{{cite web|url=http://www.firefoxwithbing.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109154959/http://www.firefoxwithbing.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 9, 2011|title=Firefox with Bing|date=November 9, 2011}} an edition of Firefox using Bing instead of Google as the default search engine.{{cite web |url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2011/10/26/introducing-firefox-with-bing|title=Introducing Firefox with Bing |date=October 26, 2011 |publisher=Bing |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204003724/http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/search/archive/2011/10/26/bff.aspx |archive-date=December 4, 2011}}{{cite web |author=Mozilla |url=http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2011/10/26/offering-a-customized-firefox-experience-for-bing-users/ |title=Offering a Customized Firefox Experience for Bing Users |publisher=Mozilla |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216201113/http://blog.mozilla.com/blog/2011/10/26/offering-a-customized-firefox-experience-for-bing-users/ |url-status=live}} The standard edition of Firefox has Google as its default search engine, but has included Bing as an option since Firefox 4.0.{{cite web |author=jsullivan |url=https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/refreshing-the-firefox-search-bar/ |title=Refreshing the Firefox Search Bar |publisher=Mozilla |access-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065532/https://blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/refreshing-the-firefox-search-bar/ |url-status=live}}
In 2009 Microsoft paid Verizon Wireless US$550 million{{cite web |last=See |first=Dianne |url=http://moconews.net/article/419-microsoft-beats-out-google-to-win-verizon-search-deal/ |title=Microsoft Beats Out Google To Win Verizon Search Deal |publisher=mocoNews |date=January 7, 2009 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723211227/http://moconews.net/article/419-microsoft-beats-out-google-to-win-verizon-search-deal/ |archive-date=July 23, 2011 |url-status=dead}} to use Bing as the default search provider on Verizon's BlackBerry and have the others "turned off". Users could still access other search engines via the mobile browser.{{cite web |url=http://searchengineland.com/as-verizon-implements-bing-default-search-deal-company-sees-user-backlash-32650 |title=As Verizon Implements Bing Default Search Deal, Company Sees User Backlash |date=December 31, 2009 |publisher=Searchengineland.com |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=January 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101220844/http://searchengineland.com/as-verizon-implements-bing-default-search-deal-company-sees-user-backlash-32650 |url-status=live}}
= Live Search =
Since 2006, Microsoft had conducted tie-ins and promotions to promote Microsoft's search offerings. These included:
- Amazon's A9 search service and the experimental Ms. Dewey interactive search site syndicated all search results from Microsoft's then search engine, Live Search. This tie-in started on May 1, 2006.
- Search and Give – a promotional website launched on January 17, 2007 where all searches done from a special portal site would lead to a donation to the UNHCR's organization for refugee children, [https://ninemillion.org ninemillion.org]. Reuters AlertNet reported in 2007 that the amount to be donated would be $0.01 per search, with a minimum of $100,000 and a maximum of $250,000 (equivalent to 25 million searches).{{cite web|publisher=Reuters AlertNet |url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/329ac7cacd8c9f683e9f270d84fc78e9.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320051546/http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/UNHCR/329ac7cacd8c9f683e9f270d84fc78e9.htm |archive-date=March 20, 2007 |title=Microsoft launches "Click for Cause" initiative to support UNHCR Net campaign |date=January 17, 2007 |access-date=May 10, 2012 |url-status=dead}} According to the website, the service was decommissioned on June 1, 2009, having donated over $500,000 to charity and schools.{{cite web|url=http://www.searchandgive.com/|title=searchandgive.com|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=June 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627025341/http://www.searchandgive.com/|archive-date=June 27, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}
- Club Bing – a promotional website where users can win prizes by playing word games that generate search queries on Microsoft's then search service Live Search. This website began in April 2007 as Live Search Club.
- Big Snap Search – a promotional website similar to Live Search Club. This website began in February 2008, but was discontinued shortly after.{{cite web|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/microsoft-challenges-search-users-game-snap/785817|title=Microsoft challenges search users to game of snap|author=Darren Davidson|date=February 25, 2008|access-date=December 7, 2021|publisher=Campaign|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501005617/http://www.brandrepublic.com/Digital/News/785817/Microsoft-challenges-search-users-game-snap/?DCMP=EMC-Digital%20Bulletin|archive-date=May 1, 2008}}
- Live Search SearchPerks! — a promotional website which allowed users to redeem tickets for prizes while using Microsoft's search engine. This website began on October 1, 2008 and was decommissioned on April 15, 2009.
= "Decision engine" =
Bing has been heavily advertised as a "decision engine",{{cite web |author=Greg R. Notess |url=http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Microsofts-New-BingThe-Decision-Engine-54514.asp |title=Microsoft's New Bing—The 'Decision Engine' |publisher=Newsbreaks.infotoday.com |date=June 8, 2009 |access-date=December 20, 2012 |archive-date=January 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103174243/http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/NewsBreaks/Microsofts-New-BingThe-Decision-Engine-54514.asp |url-status=live}} though thought by columnist David Berkowitz to be more closely related to a web portal.{{cite web |last=Berkowitz |first=David |url=http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=137007 |title=Bing From Microsoft Is a Search Portal, not a Decision Engine |work=Adage.com |date=June 1, 2009 |access-date=December 20, 2012 |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223000045/http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=137007 |url-status=live}}
= Microsoft Rewards =
Bing Rewards was a loyalty program launched by Microsoft in September 2010. It was similar to two earlier services, SearchPerks! and Bing Cashback, which were subsequently discontinued.
Bing Rewards provided credits to users through regular Bing searches and special promotions.{{cite web|last=Sterling|first=Greg|title=Microsoft Launches A New Loyalty Program: Bing Rewards|url=http://searchengineland.com/microsoft-launches-a-new-loyalty-program-bing-rewards-51374|website=Search Engine Land|date=September 22, 2010|access-date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=June 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613072655/http://searchengineland.com/microsoft-launches-a-new-loyalty-program-bing-rewards-51374|url-status=live}} These credits were then redeemed for various products including electronics, gift cards, sweepstakes, and charitable donations.{{cite web|website=Bing.com|title=Bing Rewards Shop|url=https://ssl.bing.com/rewards/redeem|access-date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=July 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728194734/https://ssl.bing.com/rewards/redeem|url-status=live}} Initially, participants were required to download and use the Bing Bar for Internet Explorer in order to earn credits; but later the service was made to work with all desktop browsers.{{cite web|title=FAQ – Bing Rewards Preview|website=Bing.com|url=http://www.bing.com/rewards/faq/Questions#WilltheBingbarworkonmycomputerandbrowser|access-date=May 11, 2011|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511020038/http://www.bing.com/rewards/faq/questions#WilltheBingbarworkonmycomputerandbrowser|url-status=live}}
The Bing Rewards program was rebranded as "Microsoft Rewards" in 2016,{{cite web|last=Kniskern|first=Kip|title=Bing Rewards replaced by Microsoft Rewards as the switchover begins|url=http://www.winbeta.org/news/bing-rewards-replaced-microsoft-rewards-switchover-begins|website=Win Beta|date=September 1, 2016|access-date=September 16, 2016|archive-date=September 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906134117/http://www.winbeta.org/news/bing-rewards-replaced-microsoft-rewards-switchover-begins|url-status=live}} at which point it was modified to only two levels, Level 1 and Level 2. Level 1 is similar to "Member", and Level 2 is similar to "Gold" of the previous Bing Rewards.
= The Colbert Report =
During the episode of The Colbert Report that aired on June 8, 2010, Stephen Colbert stated that Microsoft would donate $2,500 to help clean up the Gulf oil spill each time he mentioned the word "Bing" on air. Colbert mostly mentioned Bing in out-of-context situations, such as Bing Crosby and Bing cherries. By the end of the show, Colbert had said the word 40 times, for a total donation of $100,000. Colbert poked fun at their rivalry with Google, stating "Bing is a great website for doing Internet searches. I know that, because I Googled it."{{cite web|url=https://www.cc.com/video/y0xgng/the-colbert-report-charity-begins-at-11-30|title=Charity Begins at 11:30 – The Colbert Report|date=June 8, 2010|publisher=Comedy Central|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065530/https://www.cc.com/video/y0xgng/the-colbert-report-charity-begins-at-11-30|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/210083.asp |title=Stephen Colbert makes Bing donate $100K for oil spill |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=June 8, 2010 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |first=Nick |last=Eaton |archive-date=February 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201215423/http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/210083.asp |url-status=live}}
= Bing It On =
In 2012, a Bing marketing campaign asked the public which search engine they believed was better when its results were presented unbranded, similar to the Pepsi Challenge in the 1970s.{{cite web|author=Joe Wilcox|url=http://betanews.com/2012/09/06/bing-it-on-is-a-real-turn-off/|title='Bing It On' is a real turn-off|date=September 6, 2012|publisher=Beta News|access-date=September 9, 2012|archive-date=September 8, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908051847/http://betanews.com/2012/09/06/bing-it-on-is-a-real-turn-off/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|author=Salvador Rodriguez|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-bing-it-on-20120906,0,5273948.story|title=The Bing challenge: Microsoft pulls Pepsi trick on Google [Poll]|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 6, 2012|access-date=September 9, 2012|archive-date=September 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909210127/http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-bing-it-on-20120906,0,5273948.story|url-status=live}} This poll was nicknamed "Bing It On".{{cite web|author=Jeff Ward-Bailey|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2012/0907/Search-engine-wars-Microsoft-invites-Google-to-Bing-It-On|title=Search engine wars: Microsoft invites Google to "Bing It On"|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=September 7, 2012|access-date=September 9, 2012|archive-date=September 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909045301/http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Horizons/2012/0907/Search-engine-wars-Microsoft-invites-Google-to-Bing-It-On|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.bingiton.com/Landingpage.aspx|title=Bing It On|publisher=Bing|access-date=September 9, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120909165741/http://www.bingiton.com/Landingpage.aspx|archive-date=September 9, 2012}} Microsoft's study of almost 1,000 people{{cite web|author=Mary Jo Foley|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57507314-75/microsoft-tells-google-searchers-to-bing-it-on/|title=Microsoft tells Google searchers to 'Bing it on'|publisher=CNET News|date=September 6, 2012|access-date=September 6, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110230132/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57507314-75/microsoft-tells-google-searchers-to-bing-it-on/|url-status=live}} showed that 57% of participants preferred Bing's results, with only 30% preferring Google.{{cite web|author=The Bing Team|url=http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/thedetails/archive/2012/08/06/bingchallenge.aspx|title=People Chose Bing Web Search Results Over Google Nearly 2:1 in Blind Comparison Tests – Really??|publisher=Bing|date=September 5, 2012|access-date=September 9, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910001533/http://www.bing.com/community/site_blogs/b/thedetails/archive/2012/08/06/bingchallenge.aspx|archive-date=September 10, 2012}}
= Potential sale =
CNBC reported in February 2024 that a legal filing from Google in its antitrust case said Microsoft offered to sell the search engine to Apple in 2018.{{Cite web |last=Novet |first=Jordan |date=2024-02-24 |title=Google says Microsoft offered to sell Bing to Apple in 2018, but search-quality issues got in the way |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/24/google-says-microsoft-offered-to-sell-bing-to-apple-in-2018.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=February 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225180313/https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/24/google-says-microsoft-offered-to-sell-bing-to-apple-in-2018.html |url-status=live }} This came after earlier reporting in September 2023 from Bloomberg that Microsoft discussed selling it to Apple in 2020.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-28 |title=Microsoft Discussed Selling Bing to Apple as Google Replacement |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-28/microsoft-discussed-selling-bing-to-apple-as-google-replacement |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en |archive-date=April 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404054235/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-28/microsoft-discussed-selling-bing-to-apple-as-google-replacement |url-status=live }}
The CNBC article also stated Apple said no to repeated attempts to make Bing the default search engine on its devices.
Adult content
Bing censors results for "adult" search terms for some regions, including India, People's Republic of China, Germany and Arab countries{{Cite web|url=http://infotech.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4612759,flstry-1.cms|title=No sex for Indians on Microsoft Bing}}{{dead link|date=February 2024|bot=medic}} {{Fv|date=July 2023}}where required by local laws.{{cite news|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/paidmediaAtoms/idIN196193078720090604 |title=Why You Can't Search The Word 'Sex' On Bing |work=Reuters |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607042603/http://in.reuters.com/article/paidmediaAtoms/idIN196193078720090604 |archive-date=June 7, 2009}} However, Bing allows users to change their country or region preference to somewhere without restrictions, such as the United States, United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland.
Criticism
= Censorship in China =
{{See also|Internet censorship in China|Chinese censorship abroad}}
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.{{cite news |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123194315/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 23, 2009 |work=The New York Times |first=Nicholas |last=Kristof |date=November 20, 2009 |access-date=March 31, 2010 |title=Boycott Microsoft Bing }} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.itpro.co.uk/621706/activists-applaud-googles-censorship-move-china-grumbles |title=Activists applaud Google's censorship move, China grumbles |publisher=IT PRO |date=March 23, 2010 |access-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-date=October 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028071727/http://www.itpro.co.uk/621706/activists-applaud-googles-censorship-move-china-grumbles |url-status=live}} All simplified Chinese searches in Bing are censored regardless of the user's country.{{cite news |url=http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123194315/http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/boycott-microsoft-bing/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 23, 2009 |work=The New York Times |title=Boycott Microsoft Bing |date=November 20, 2009 |access-date=March 23, 2010 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2014/02/internet-censorship|title=Bing's Chinese enigma|newspaper=The Economist|date=February 12, 2014|access-date=January 6, 2018|archive-date=January 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107064213/https://www.economist.com/blogs/analects/2014/02/internet-censorship|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Liu|first1=Charles|title=Bing Goes Full-on Censorship in English Search Results Within China|url=https://thenanfang.com/search-engine-bing-com-featuring-skewed-results-china/|access-date=January 7, 2018|publisher=The Nanfang|date=May 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107175119/https://thenanfang.com/search-engine-bing-com-featuring-skewed-results-china/|archive-date=January 7, 2018|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} On 23 January 2019, Bing was blocked in China.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/china-blocks-microsofts-bing-search-engine|title=China blocks Microsoft's Bing search engine|website=TheGuardian.com|date=24 January 2019|agency=Reuters|access-date=January 24, 2019|archive-date=December 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208042303/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/24/china-blocks-microsofts-bing-search-engine|url-status=live}} According to a source quoted by The Financial Times, the order was from the Chinese government to block Bing for "illegal content".{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/714ac466-1f64-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221211191251/https://www.ft.com/content/714ac466-1f64-11e9-b126-46fc3ad87c65|archive-date=December 11, 2022|url-access=subscription|title=China blocks Bing access in curb on last foreign search engine|work=The Financial Times|date=2019-01-24|first=Yuan|last=Yang|access-date=December 17, 2021|url-status=live}} On 24 January, Bing was accessible again in China.{{cite news |last1=Lanxon |first1=Nate |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/ |access-date=25 January 2019 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=January 24, 2019 |archive-date=January 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125130828/https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsofts-bing-accessible-again-in-china-after-hours-of-outages/ |url-status=live}}
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".{{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/ |work=Vice |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605072041/https://www.vice.com/amp/en/article/qj8v9m/bing-censors-tank-man |url-status=live}}{{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/ |publisher=Reuters |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 5, 2021 |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/ |url-status=live}} According to an investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek, the full explanation was that Microsoft accidentally applied its Chinese blacklist globally.{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Ryan |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 |access-date=March 23, 2024 |work=Bloomberg Businessweek |publisher=Bloomberg L.P. |date=March 7, 2024 |archive-date=March 24, 2024 |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 |url-status=live }}
In December 2021, it was required by a "relevant government agency" to suspend its auto-suggest function in China for 30 days.{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/microsoft-bing-says-suspended-auto-suggest-function-china-government-behest-2021-12-17/ |title=Microsoft's Bing suspends auto suggest function in China at government's behest |date=2021-12-17 |work=Reuters |access-date=December 17, 2021 |archive-date=December 17, 2021 |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/ |url-status=live}} The search engine became partially unavailable in mainland China from 16 December until its resumption on 18 December 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsofts-bing-halts-autofill-feature-in-china-citing-local-laws-11639743295|title=Microsoft's Bing Halts Autofill Feature in China, Citing Local Laws|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Liza|last=Lin|date=2021-12-17|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}}{{Cite web|url=https://m.ithome.com/html/593213.htm|title=微软 Bing(必应)已可正常访问|date=2021-12-18|work=IT Home|language=zh|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20211219143355/https://m.ithome.com/html/593213.htm|archivedate=December 19, 2021|access-date=December 19, 2021}} 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.{{cite news |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/ |work=Reuters |date=21 March 2022 |language=en |access-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-date=March 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322044210/https://www.reuters.com/technology/china-requires-microsofts-bing-suspend-auto-suggest-feature-2022-03-21/ |url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite journal|url= https://citizenlab.ca/2022/05/bada-bing-bada-boom-microsoft-bings-chinese-political-censorship-autosuggestions-north-america/|title= Bada Bing, Bada Boom: Microsoft Bing's Chinese Political Censorship of Autosuggestions in North America|date= 2022-05-19|journal= Citizen Lab|last1= Knockel|first1= Jeffrey|last2= Ruan|first2= Lotus|access-date= May 19, 2022|archive-date= May 19, 2022|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/|url-status= live}}{{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 |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-said-to-censor-searches-in-u-s-for-politically-sensitive-chinese-names-11652965201 |access-date=2022-05-20 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |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 |url-status=live}}
In April 2023, Citizen Lab reported that Bing was more censorious in China than native Chinese search engines.{{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 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/business/china-censored-search-engine.html |access-date=2023-04-29 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429155352/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/business/china-censored-search-engine.html |url-status=live }}{{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}}
= Copyright-infringing content =
On February 20, 2017, Bing agreed to a voluntary United Kingdom code of practice obligating it to demote links to copyright-infringing content in its search results.{{cite news|title=Google and Bing to demote pirate sites in UK web searches|date=February 20, 2017|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39023950|publisher=BBC News|access-date=February 20, 2017|archive-date=February 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220024333/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39023950|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Google and Bing to deprecate piracy websites |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/20/google-and-bing-to-demote-piracy-websites |website=The Guardian |date=February 20, 2017 |access-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-date=February 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220094345/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/20/google-and-bing-to-demote-piracy-websites |url-status=live}}
= Performance issues =
Bing was criticized in 2010 for being slower to index websites than Google. It was also criticized for not indexing some websites at all.{{cite web |last=Protalinski |first=Emil |url=https://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/01/microsoft-outlines-plan-to-improve-bings-slow-indexing.ars |title=Microsoft has a plan to improve Bing's poor indexing |publisher=Arstechnica.com |date=January 17, 2010 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=December 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111206025344/http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/01/microsoft-outlines-plan-to-improve-bings-slow-indexing.ars |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/021475.html |title=Microsoft Bing Says They Are "Fairly Slow" |publisher=Seroundtable.com |date=January 7, 2010 |access-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-date=July 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170731070444/https://www.seroundtable.com/archives/021475.html |url-status=live}}
= Alleged copying of Google results =
Bing has been criticized by competitor Google for utilizing user input via Internet Explorer, the Bing Toolbar, or Suggested Sites, to add results to Bing. After discovering in October 2010 that Bing appeared to be imitating Google's auto-correct results for a misspelling, despite not actually fixing the spelling of the term, Google set up a honeypot, configuring the Google search engine to return specific unrelated results for 100 nonsensical queries such as hiybbprqag.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12343597 |title=Google accuses Bing of 'copying' its search results |publisher=BBC News |date=February 2, 2011 |access-date=June 20, 2018 |archive-date=August 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190827235609/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12343597 |url-status=live}} Over the next couple of weeks, Google engineers entered the search term into Google, while using Microsoft Internet Explorer, with the Bing Toolbar installed and the optional Suggested Sites enabled. In 9 out of the 100 queries, Bing later started returning the same results as Google, despite the only apparent connection between the result and search term being that Google's results connected the two.{{cite web|url=http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/microsofts-bing-uses-google-search.html|title=Microsoft's Bing uses Google search results—and denies it|last=Singhal|first=Amit|date=February 2, 2011|publisher=Google Blog|access-date=February 2, 2011|archive-date=February 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202010543/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/microsofts-bing-uses-google-search.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://searchengineland.com/google-bing-is-cheating-copying-our-search-results-62914|title=Google: Bing Is Cheating, Copying Our Search Results|last=Sullivan|first=Danny|date=February 1, 2011|publisher=Search Engine Land|access-date=February 2, 2011|archive-date=April 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401142722/http://searchengineland.com/google-bing-is-cheating-copying-our-search-results-62914|url-status=live}}
Microsoft's response to this issue, coming from a company spokesperson, was: "We do not copy Google's results." Bing's Vice President, Harry Shum, later reiterated that the search result data Google claimed that Bing copied had in fact come from Bing's very own users. Shum wrote that "we use over 1,000 different signals and features in our ranking algorithm. A small piece of that is clickstream data we get from some of our customers, who opt into sharing anonymous data as they navigate the web in order to help us improve the experience for all users."
{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2011/02/02/google-bing-copying/|title=Google: Bing's Search Results Are a "Cheap Imitation"|website=Mashable|date=October 25, 2011|access-date=October 25, 2011|archive-date=November 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121121318/http://mashable.com/2011/02/02/google-bing-copying/|url-status=live}}
Microsoft stated that Bing was not intended to be a duplicate of any existing search engines.{{cite web|url=https://blogs.bing.com/search/2011/02/01/thoughts-on-search-quality|title=Thoughts on search quality|last=Shum|first=Harry|date=February 2, 2011|publisher=Microsoft Bing Blog|access-date=December 7, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207065532/https://blogs.bing.com/search/2011/02/01/thoughts-on-search-quality|url-status=live}}
= 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.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/unsafe-search/|title=Microsoft Bing not only shows child sexual abuse, it suggests it|first=Josh|last=Constine|date=January 10, 2019|access-date=February 20, 2023|archive-date=February 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220184238/https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/10/unsafe-search/|url-status=live}} Additionally, some arrested child pornographers reported using Bing as their main search engine for new content.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.html|title=Child Abusers Run Rampant as Tech Companies Look the Other Way|first1=Michael H.|last1=Keller|first2=Gabriel J. X.|last2=Dance|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 9, 2019|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202200034/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/09/us/internet-child-sex-abuse.html|url-status=live}} Microsoft vowed to fix the problem and assign additional staff to combat the issue after the report was released.
= Privacy =
In 2022, France imposed a €60 million fine on Microsoft for privacy law violations using Bing cookies that prevented users from rejecting those cookies.{{Cite web|url=https://borncity.com/win/2022/12/24/france-fines-microsoft-60-million-euros-over-bing-cookies/|title=France fines Microsoft 60 million euros over Bing cookies|date=December 24, 2022|website=Born's Tech and Windows World|access-date=December 24, 2022|archive-date=December 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224151305/https://borncity.com/win/2022/12/24/france-fines-microsoft-60-million-euros-over-bing-cookies/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20221222-france-fines-microsoft-%E2%82%AC60m-for-imposing-advertising-cookies|title=France fines Microsoft €60m for imposing advertising cookies|date=December 22, 2022|website=RFI|access-date=December 24, 2022|archive-date=December 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224151303/https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20221222-france-fines-microsoft-%E2%82%AC60m-for-imposing-advertising-cookies|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.scmagazine.com/analysis/compliance/microsoft-fined-64-million-by-france-over-cookies-used-in-bing-searches|title=Microsoft fined $64 million by France over cookies used in Bing searches|first=Menghan|last=Xiao|date=December 23, 2022|website=SC Media|access-date=December 24, 2022|archive-date=December 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224151305/https://www.scmagazine.com/analysis/compliance/microsoft-fined-64-million-by-france-over-cookies-used-in-bing-searches|url-status=live}}
See also
Notes
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References
{{reflist|refs=
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Further reading
- {{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/may12/05-10Bing.aspx|title=Transforming Search from Finding to Doing (Press Release)|website=Microsoft|access-date=May 17, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518010951/http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/features/2012/may12/05-10Bing.aspx|archive-date=May 18, 2012}}
External links
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