Microsoft has quietly killed off its spoofed Google UI that it was utilizing to trick Bing customers into considering they had been utilizing Google. Earlier this month you possibly can seek for “Google” on Bing and get a web page that seemed lots like Google, full with a particular search bar, a picture resembling a Google Doodle, and even some small textual content beneath the search bar similar to Google search.
The deceptive UI now not seems on the Google search results of Bing this week, simply days after it was initially found by posters on Reddit. Microsoft’s spoofed Google UI even mechanically scrolled down the web page barely to masks its personal Bing search bar that seem on the prime of search outcomes, in a blatant try to trick Bing customers into considering they had been on Google.
Microsoft refused to touch upon its faux Google UI, however Google was more than pleased to supply up its opinion. “Imitation is the sincerest type of flattery, however Microsoft spoofing the Google homepage is one other tactic in its lengthy historical past of methods to confuse customers & restrict selection,” stated Google Chrome boss Parisa Tabriz in a put up on X final week. “New yr; new low Microsoft.”
Microsoft has a behavior of utilizing a wide range of methods to persuade individuals to maintain utilizing the defaults of Bing and Microsoft Edge in Windows, together with modifying Chrome obtain websites and utilizing malware-like popups to get individuals to ditch Google. Microsoft has even beforehand needed to reverse pop-up adverts inside Google Chrome to deal with “unintended conduct.”
