Google Catches Bing Copying Its Results

Google is furious. The search giant says it’s caught Bing red-handed stealing its search results—or, at least, mining data from its results to use to adjust Bing's own ranking algorithm. It suspects Bing is using Internet Explorer and/or the Bing toolbar to monitor users’ Google queries and results. Microsoft doesn’t deny it either, according to Danny Sullivan of Search Engine Land. Asked for comment, Bing’s director said the toolbar was “one of many inputs” the site uses.

Google tested its suspicions with a “sting” operation, in which it artificially linked ridiculous search terms (like “mbzrxpgys”) to unrelated sites (like RIM’s homepage), then searched for them on Internet Explorer with the Bing bar enabled. Within two weeks, Bing started showing the same results for those terms. Furious, Google sent the results to Sullivan. “It’s cheating,” the Google Fellow who oversees the search algorithm tells him. “It’s like running a marathon and carrying someone else on your back.” Click to see more examples from Google's "sting."
(More Google stories.)