Microsoft Bing Chinese Censorship Experienced by North America, Says It's Already Fixed

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 20 May 2022, 09:05 pm

Microsoft's Bing has Chinese censorship that focuses on a region-based observation that would prevent certain political keywords from appearing on searches via its engine. It should be available in China only, as it is focused on its censorship laws for the service to run in the country. However, there are reports that North American users experience it even when not in the region.

The software company admitted that the censorship appeared some time outside China, but claims to have already fixed it.

Microsoft Bing Chinese Censorship: North America Experience It

(Photo : Screenshot from: Bing)

According to a report by Citizen Lab Canada, regions in North America like Canada and the United States are experiencing censorship that they should not observe in their regions. It is the Chinese political censors that China has on their country, imposed upon search engines that are available to function on the nation.

While Google, Twitter, and Facebook are not available in China due to its laws and firewalls that prevent their direct access, Microsoft's Bing is enjoying its freedom and use in the country. However, it seems that the company overextended its red tape outside of the Asian country, and it reached North American users that search for China's politics.

Users reported that they were unable to access Chinese information that should have been freely accessible to them as they are not within the region. Citizen Lab said that Microsoft restricted free speech and access to it in this mishap.

Microsoft says Bing Already Fixed its Search Engine Censors

Microsoft told The Wall Street Journal that it acknowledges the problem and already worked on Bing to fix its censorship and region restrictions on its search engine. Microsoft claimed that it is already fixed and that the company thanks Citizen Lab for recognizing the problem and reporting it to the company for a solution.

Microsoft Bing: Is it a Reliable Search Engine?

Search engines are a place on the internet that would provide users with a wide range of results and help them find what they are looking for, focusing on those with reliable sources and legitimate websites. Google is one of the top search engines in the world, and it focuses on the top sources that would appear on its front page.

However, there is one competitor from another Big Tech company that focuses to bring another face of the internet for all of its users, and it is with Microsoft and the Bing platform. In Australia, the country wants to remove Google from its region and focus on other search engines that web users will utilize for their needs, and Bing presents itself as the alternative.

There are also startup companies that promise more protection and privacy compared to the usual search engines now, and it is with DuckDuckGo and the like.

Now, it is Microsoft's Bing that is under fire for the problems that users experience on its platform, especially as its China censorship was felt outside of the region, going as far as North America. There are limited laws on censorship in the American region compared to China which are strict on its web searches, and it is what bothers the users.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard