New year, new low? Microsoft’s latest underhand tactic is spoofing Google for Bing users
While it has its fans, Bing trails behind Google in user numbers and in other areas. The search engine wars of recent years have major echoes of the battle of the browsers of yesteryear, and the latest development sees Microsoft adopting rather underhand tactics.
For many people, Bing has been set as the default search engine, but this doesn’t mean that it is what users want. Currently, if you perform a search for the term “Google” using Bing, you’ll find that the results page has been given a very, very Google-like makeover -- seemingly in a bid to fool people into thinking they are already using Google.
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The change, which Microsoft must surely be aware would be considered controversial, was spotted by Windows Latest. The page revamp, which only seems to apply to Bing searches relating to Microsoft’s rival Google has clearly been very carefully designed. It is close enough to being a duplicate of the Google search results page to fool a user that does not look too hard, but (probably) different enough to keep Microsoft out of legal hot water.
The layout of Bing’s Google-related searches is much cleaner and more minimalist than usual, and a large graphic displayed on the page could very easily be mistaken for a Google Doodle. The hope is apparently that the uninitiated will be fooled into thinking that they are already using Google, so there is no need to make a change. It could just be a design revamp test, of course, but aping others is something Microsoft is known to indulge in.
Windows Latest also shared a statement from the head of Google Chrome, Parisa Tabriz, who said: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is another tactic in its long history of tricks to confuse users & limit choice. New year; new low Microsoft.”
Image credit: Windows Latest