• Microsoft Fumes over Google's Copying Allegation

    Microsoft Fumes over Google's Copying Allegation

    Samir Makwana, Feb 03, 2011 1817 hrs IST

    Accuses Google for rigging the experiment to execute a click fraud on Bing search results

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The squabble between Google and Microsoft over search results copying has kind of entered the phase two. Based on a honeypot experiment conducted in December 2010, Google claimed that Bing Search Results have been manually copied. Yusuf Mehdi, senior VP for Microsoft Online Services Divison  clarified and re-iterated in a blogpost at official the Bing blog, "We do not copy results from any of our competitors. Period. Full stop. We have some of the best minds in the world at work on search quality and relevance, and for a competitor to accuse any one of these people of such activity is just insulting."

The tension between Google and Bing search engines has taken the center-stage once again. In the blog post, Mehdi clarifies that the company does look at anonymous click stream data as one of the over 1,000 inputs into Bing's ranking algorithm. He seconds Harry Shum, Corp. VP for Bing that Bing learns from the customers.

Further, Mehdi blames Google for rigging the honeypot experiment to manipulate Bing search results via Click Fraud type of attack. Click Fraud attacks are used to trick consumers for clicking on authentic looking dubious links and generate bogus search results. Not only that, Microsoft has also accused Google of copying its moves of partnering with social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Honestly, the heated debate isn't going to serve anything more but make several customers lose faith in both search engines. Even though the number would be less, people may frown at Google for rigging the search rankings and results just to find if its rival was copying the search results. While judgemental people will jump the gun and blame Bing for copying from Google instead of spending time in innovation. Reputations of both companies are at stake.



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Discussion Board
(14) Comments
Ashutosh Khanna
,Delhi, on Feb 03, 2011 07:42 PM
Nothing new.... Microsoft has a long history of copy and paste. period. Have they created anything ? NO. 1. Os from Apple. 2. Copied Playstation idea and launched X-Box. 3. Copied I-POD idea to launch Zune 4. Copied IPhone idea to launch to Windows Phone 7. 5. Copied search results from google into Bing. Steve Ballmer your a moron.
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andrew
,jackson, ms, on Feb 03, 2011 08:27 PM
Who did they copy when they made the best selling tech gadget EVER...the Kinect? 8 million units. tell that to your ipod/pad, ps3, blah!
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Gupta Manmeet
,Delhi, on Feb 03, 2011 08:31 PM
They copied PlayStation? XBox is completely different from PlayStation. If by copy you mean they created something to compete directly with other consoles, then your definition is off. Microsoft, as well as quite a few other people, were already in the mp3 player market. Apple improved on existing innovation and created the iPod. Microsoft (as well as everyone else) then improve their products to suit, yet it is copying when they do it, but innovation when Apple does it. Windows had a SmartPhone OS long before Apple. Windows 7 Mobile has its own layout and quite a few original features. As far as creating things, I would say just in the last year their biggest thing was the Kinect system, which is based off of technologies not seen in the console market. Or did they copy the general idea from Nintendo because it doesn't use standard controllers? Everyone else innovates. Microsoft does the exact same thing, and it is copying. Learn a new tune, because this one is getting old.
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efef
,efew, on Feb 03, 2011 09:02 PM
hey dude..never say microsoft copied from apple. infact both microsoft and apple copied from xerox.. Thats how the pc was born.
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teto
,reus, on Feb 04, 2011 03:12 AM
Kinect is not original from Microsoft. This technology was adquired by MS to one Israel Company some years ago. :)
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Acumen
,los angeles, on Feb 04, 2011 02:18 AM
Dear author, you must be kidding or what ever, your statement "people may frown at Google for rigging the search rankings and results just to find if its rival was copying the search results" was senseless. I doubt if any kind of search user would ever try the kind of queries that Google tried to manipulate. Please make more rational statements, when you write next time. Thanks.
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ChandruBS
,Bangalore, on Feb 03, 2011 10:54 PM
another way to look at it. there was a search event that was being held. and google decided to kill the little competition that's left by tarnishing their image... ppl in google got to know how bing works, i.e. their algorithms which is "rep...eatedly when ppl search for XX and end up visting YY, YY becomes a result for future searches of XX", wat seems dumb is they arent checking if YY could actually make a sensible result for a search of XX . actually only a few results that google tried injecting into bings results were successful.. so guys at google still have some things left to figure out..
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ChandruBS
,Bangalore, on Feb 03, 2011 10:52 PM
bing(Bing Is Now Google :P) they are seeing what sites ppl visit when they search for terms which bing has very few or no results.. and wh...en google engineers dedicated to hack bing's system repeatedly searched for those rare terms(say XX) using Internet explorer and/Bing Toolbar which led them to the fake result pages(say YY) which google planted, bing's algorithm believed that wen repeatedly it found searches for term XX and resulted in them visiting page YY, it added those pages to their search too. so its actually not plain copying, though it appears like that at first.. if there were other search engines in market, then it wud have been more interesting.. but since google is like the only competitor.. it looks like they are copying from them..
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steve
,new york, on Feb 03, 2011 08:37 PM
Is Microsoft - Bing, is this the search engine that pays people to use there search engine? Then what do you expect?
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javaboy
,ny, on Feb 03, 2011 08:35 PM
"Honestly, the heated debate isn't going to serve anything more but make several customers lose faith in both search engines" - I differ this arguement.. its only Bing which is going to loose faith!! Bing will never be search engine.. its a failure like Zune!!
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Merlinda
,Tampa, FL, on Feb 03, 2011 08:24 PM
Agree with the rest of the comments. Google faking search results for gibberish is not going to result in anyone getting angry at them - except for Microsoft, that is. Microsoft cheated, they were caught cheating, and it's another in a long list of embarrassments for them.
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Mdevlin
,Payson, on Feb 03, 2011 07:54 PM
C'mon guy. Are you really looking down on Google for taking manipulating search results? Which results? How many people search on "asl;dkjkdfj" They did a test to find out if they were being copied and temporarily manipulated search results for gibberish. Microsoft is just trying to divert attention from the fact they got caught and you are letting them. Shame on you for being gullible.
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Jon
,Minnesota, on Feb 03, 2011 07:54 PM
Microsoft's claims of copying moves of partnering with social media is somewhat backwards, as they weren't the first company to partner with social media, so they really have no claim against Google for it. The fact that Google was able to rig their results despite repeated statements from them in the past saying they wouldn't is the larger item to affect their reputation, at least among tech enthusiasts. As for Microsoft copying any of the results, even if by some sort of backwards user monitoring, it equates roughly to plagiarism. Google's results are the result of some sort of process or research, as such any findings that use the research should cite it. If these were two papers Microsoft would be ostracized by the academic and professional sectors for their actions. This is not to say that Google is entirely innocent, however from the statements of both companies there hasn't been anything to directly lay at Google's feet.
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Anonymous
,Atlanta, on Feb 03, 2011 06:50 PM
Nonsense. Bing was cheating and now they are lying. The only one with egg on the face here is Microsoft.
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