Bing Is Tricking People Into Thinking They're Using Google



It’s a common practice for people to use default apps to look for better alternatives, and then to switch to those alternatives instead. Back in the day, Internet Explorer was often used to download Firefox or Chrome, before being forgotten forever. Now, the same thing is happening with Bing — Microsoft’s search engine — and the company clearly isn’t pleased with that. If you’re using Chrome or Edge, Bing is your default search engine. When you type the word “Google” in the browser’s address bar, you’ll see a page that you may mistake for Google search, but it’s actually Bing deceiving you into believing you’re using your preferred search engine. Bing will load a page that looks a lot like Google — complete with a fake Google doodle, a search bar, results laid out in Google’s design, and show other spoofed Google UI elements. The worst part is that the spoofed page even hides Microsoft Bing’s branding entirely by hiding the top bar. You can reveal that by scrolling up a little. When you search for any term other than “Google,” Bing’s branding and the search bar at the top are prominently visible. Parisa Tabriz, Vice President of Google Chrome, expressed her displeasure at this move: "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 and limit choice. New year; new low at Microsoft.”