Uh oh. Google says they have looked into Bing’s search results and claim Microsoft’s tool is using Google data to improve its own results. Stealing or cheating? That’s to be determined — probably in a court of law. But Bing does not deny it uses Google data and calls Google’s experiment to track Bing results a “hack to confuse and manipulate” some of the signals generated by Bing’s search toolbar.
Google responded to Microsoft via CNET News saying “Our testing has concluded that Bing is copying Google Web search results.” The company also said they look forward to competing search innovation but only “algorithms built on core innovation and not on recycled search results copied from a competitor.”
This news comes from Search Engine Land via CNET. Check out the full article from Danny Sullivan at SEL, or the article from CNET.
I realize this has nothing to do with high-definition television, but couldn’t pass up reporting on it!