Google Accuses Bing of Cheating

Wednesday, 02 February 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The allegations are flying between Google and Microsoft’s Bing says the Wall Street Journal. Google released data yesterday that it claims proved how Bing copied the company’s search engine algorithm. Microsoft responded by calling the data release a “spy-novelesque stunt to generate extreme outliers.” Meow.

Google ran a “sting” by altering their algorithm to see if the Microsoft search engine would do the same. The Journal explains: “For example, Google changed its algorithm to show a link to the website for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. if users searched for “mbzrxpgjys.” Later, the same result showed up on Bing, Google said. It found such copying in about seven to nine out of 100 different search queries it tested.”

The tech blog Search Engine Land first published the results of Google’s “sting.”