Microsoft has to face criticism again because of censored search results. In both the Windows Start menu and Bing, Microsoft has not made any search suggestions for certain topics – and not just in China. Now there is a short statement.
Microsoft: Bing search also censored in the USA?
According to research by The Citizen Lab, Microsoft censors certain topics on Bing and the Windows Start menu. When searching for people who are considered “sensitive” in China – unlike usual – no search suggestions are made in the US and Canada. According to The Citizen Lab, there are no proposals even when searching for senior members of the Chinese Unity Party (CCP).
One of the most well-known examples of names that Microsoft does not autocomplete is Chinese President Xi Jinpingthe late human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, and the “Tank Man” who stood in front of tanks rolling in Tiananmen Square during protests in 1989.
It was previously known that Microsoft does not offer suggestions for certain searches in China when it comes to people. Outside of China, the auto-complete restriction only applies to adult performers. The search engine DuckDuckGo is also indirectly affectedbecause Microsoft’s autosuggest function is used here.
Microsoft has already responded and explains that “a small number of users experienced a misconfiguration” (source: The Wall Street Journal).
It doesn’t always have to be Google or Bing:
Microsoft: Again allegations of censorship at Bing
Microsoft had to listen to similar criticism last year. In June 2021, it was revealed that searches for the “Tank Man” were blocked in the US, France and Singapore. Microsoft spoke of one in this context “accidental human error”.