Google is firing back as Microsoft is accused of ‘tricking’ people into using Bing
- Microsoft has been accused of using an underhanded trick to generate Bing traffic
- In certain situations, searching “Google” in Bing will return a results page that looks a lot like Google’s homepage
- Critics claim this could lead to people searching through Bing instead of Google without even knowing it
Microsoft has been accused of using devious tricks that push the use of the Bing search engine at Google’s expense – and the outrage has prompted a senior Google employee to speak out.
According to Windows Latest, people who searched for Google using the Edge or Chrome web browser with Bing set as their default search engine were presented with a results page that looked a lot like Google’s homepage, instead of the usual Bing results page.
When Bing returns the search results, Microsoft has apparently made a change so that the Bing search bar – normally at the top of the results list – has an image added, a bit like a Google doodle.
This has led some on the Internet to accuse Microsoft of making it look like Google’s homepage has loaded, even suggesting that the web page is loaded in such a way that the ‘Microsoft Bing’ logo and bar are hidden at the very top. away.
This could cause users to perform a search using the Bing bar when they think they are using Google.
The response was swift and vocal, with even a senior employee at Google voicing his opinion.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Microsoft spoofing Google’s homepage is another tactic in its long history of tricks to confuse users and limit choice. New Year; new layer @Microsoft https://t.co/LKSNNKB7HyJanuary 6, 2025
This is a major intervention – and a surprising one at that. Parisa Tabriz is VP of Chrome at Google, and she makes some bold accusations, even going so far as to tag Microsoft. We don’t often see such senior employees become involved in allegations that (as far as we know) are far from substantiated.
The fact that Tabriz commented on this, probably while senior Google staff knew about it, suggests that Google is not happy about this. We shouldn’t rush to judgment, though, and Google should be careful about amplifying accusations against a major rival (and one that Google often partners with).
Analysis: an unconstructive argument
Neither Google nor Microsoft comes out particularly well here. There’s no denying that the results page for ‘Google’ using Bing looks a lot like Google’s homepage (we tried it ourselves here), and the usual Bing branding is indeed hidden as the page is scrolled down slightly. Perhaps the most damning aspect is that this only happens when you search “Google.” Other searches (we tried ‘hats’) will give you the default Bing page.
Microsoft’s past attempts to get people to use its services make many people reluctant to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. But regardless of your opinion of the company, we should keep in mind that there is no evidence that this is a deliberate ploy to trick users into using Bing through Google.
This makes Tabriz’s comment all the more risky, especially since many people assume her comments reflect Google’s views because of her position within the company — leading to accusations of hypocrisy.
Google’s rise to the top of the search engine and browser markets has led to accusations of limiting choice for users with tactics that some consider unfair.
So while Microsoft’s motivations certainly need to be questioned, Google should also be careful about throwing too many stones from its own coffers. We’ve reached out to both Microsoft and Google for their responses to these allegations and will update this story if we hear back.
As for users who just want to search the Internet in peace, this is a reminder that, as with most things you do on the Internet, you should always make sure you’re using the website or service you trust by repeating this to check before entering into any information.
Via 9 to 5 Googling