Facebook, Bing Search Partnership Announced: See The New Social Search

(JESSICA MINTZ, AP/Huffington Post) SEATTLE -- Microsoft is starting to incorporate what your friends do on Facebook right into its Bing search engine.

A new feature rolling out Wednesday will start showing what Facebook friends "like" on the search results page.

On Facebook and sites around the Web, people can click a "like" button to show support or share information with friends. On Bing, if you search for a topic in the news, articles friends have shared on Facebook might appear. Restaurants and movies that friends have "liked" could help you decide what to do on your next date.

Microsoft has been working with Facebook since 2006.

The feature could help distinguish Bing from Google, which only has access to information users make public.

Bing wrote in a blog post about the new features that the goal with the new "Liked Results" feature is to "[demonstrate] our commitment to user privacy." For example, the feature will be opt-in, rather than opt-out: "You will be notified that we will be enhancing your Bing experience before we actually do it, with an opportunity to say "disable" or to go and learn more before you decide if you want to take advantage of the feature," Bing explained. In addition, "People will only see Facebook Profile Search results for people in their Facebook network when signed into Facebook. "

Here's what people are saying about the new feature:

ReadWriteWeb: So far, these new capabilities in Bing look quite similar to Google Social, which also integrates results from your Twitter and Google Buzz friends on the search results page.

Search Engine Land: Facebook Like data is now being used to improve search results, but not in the way that some anticipated. It's also not really being done at Facebook itself but rather at Bing. Moreover, it currently doesn't produce anything near to a generational leap in search, not yet. And should it get there, potentially Google could still do the same. [...] But make no mistake. I like this. I like it a lot.

CNET: Zuckerberg and Mehdi confirmed that Bing is not sending search data back to Facebook, meaning that your Facebook friends won't know what you're searching for on Bing.

LOOK:
Screenshot via Search Engine Land

Comments

[Jeannie Meredith Gray]

07:28 PM on 10/23/2010

I switched to Bing to get away from Facebook, Google, Youtube tracking & monitoring accounts in detailed manner.

It now would appear that my safe search engine place
amalgamated, joined forces with you know who.... ...........
what's their face.

So back to the quest through internet trail
in hopes that my travels will prove without fail.
Aimed at finally being able to locate a search engine space,
that securely moves in to efficiently replace,
to leave me once again feeling safe & fully reassured,
I can search all that I want to my heart's content
without ever fearing I'll be traced in the end.

Which search tool to use ??
Is it possible there remains such a place??
One that doesn't use Facebook as their mainframe
or their home base?

perhaps... somewhere on the world wide web?
I'll look page after page,
I'll comb every thread
that is out there today,
Through every face

Or might it be too good to be true,
naïve for me to think
that one in fact exists
that won't share every link
leaving behind it a cloud,
it's virtual reality stink?

Maybe just one?
that will not abuse,
leaving tell-tale crumbs or other subtle clues
sharing with all what I find pertinent news?

For my sake I hope this is what's true
and I'm graced with it being the actual case.

[EricBishop]

12:28 PM on 10/17/2010

This actually might make me take a look at bing...in spite of their HORRIBLE TV ads. I already get alot of my reading material from links that my friends post on facebook. Of course, I'd much prefer that this feature be incorporated into my Google search results.

[mAlCoLmCaNuCk]

11:38 PM on 10/14/2010

Who uses Bing anyways?!?? lol

[Michael Plooy]

05:55 PM on 10/14/2010

The 'Bing" search engine is perfect for people that can't scan a few pages of search results for themselves. I have the perfect slogan for them. "You really have no idea what your doing. We'll tell you what your looking for."

[eric14]

03:40 PM on 10/14/2010

There are a number of folk posting here concerned with threats to their personal liberty from corporations and government as a result of powers to invade privacy acquired in the Internet Age.

First of all, for government to bother, there must be some kind of threat. Several million, even tens of millions of disgruntled computer users, do not present a threat. Government is heading for bankruptcy. Spying on harmless citizens is not going to be a priority. You are harmless.

Secondly, corporations. It's not your liberty they want, it's your money. They don't bother people with no disposable income. Given the direction of the economy, large numbers of people will experience no interference from Internet corporations.

The greatest danger that Americans currently face is flight of capital of the rich. The greatest need is to rescue the economy by taxing the wealthy. A slide in the value of the dollar, and there goes your purchasing power for cheap foreign stuff. That will do a lot more damage to your liberty than a few Internet corporations playing games with those who still have disposable income.

But if you have a conspiracy theory about liberty and how evil it is taxing the wealthy, then you need to think whose interests you have at heart - your own or the rich. Be sure of this - they don't give a hoot about you.

[BonzaSheila]

01:28 PM on 10/14/2010

Nope.
No Facebook.
No Bing.
Sticking with Google.

[orbs]

10:17 AM on 10/14/2010

Gross.

Good thing there's lesser known search engines available. You recall what a search engine is right...where you put in a term, and get back RELEVANT information.

Enough with the culture of add add add add add ad infintum.....less is more ffs.

[ectoendomezo]

09:58 AM on 10/14/2010

Anything..that Facebook touches...is Tainted by Greed and Arrogance that is daily..crossing the line into what can only be accurately defined as:

Malevolence!

The really funny part is going to happen when facebook slaves and "Profile Updaters" in their constant daily pathetic search for some kind of pointless "Relevancy"..begin to realize:

"Wait..I know that none of my 'friends'...'Likes' that particular item..the one now being promoted to me as something my 'friends'..'like'..so..why..is this (product/story/information) coming up in this search..?"

Oops..its popping up..because guess what sunshine?

Turns out 'facebook' sold all the 'data' being generated by you and your.."friends"..to every single corporate maggot on the planet..and they're not showing you "Just what your "Friends"...."Like"...they're ADVERTISING to you and your..."Friends"!

Facebook..Microsoft..and the truly..vile and disgusting "Apple"..with its "Skeletor In Need Of A Shave" Fuhrer.."Der Steven"..actually now so..impossibly arrogant and self centered he actually does not hesitate to "Censor Content" at the "Source"...literally.."Big Steve"..well..these corporate maggots..are prime to fall..and I cannot wait!

I don't care if I too am standing in a "Bread Line" when I hear of their impending "Lay-Offs" etc..I just...Can't..Wait!

These are truly..Malevolent corporate criminals...intent on Two Things:

Profit and Control!

[eric14]

10:17 AM on 10/14/2010

Perhaps you should buy a typewriter.

[crimghost]

10:32 AM on 10/14/2010

or he could just download a distro of linux, there are other options as well. ecto is quite correct. they're all on borrowed time and keep pushing the limits farther and farther. I promise they won't stop before they self destruct. Huge corporate ventures like the one's ecto mentioned almost never do.

[crimghost]

10:34 AM on 10/14/2010

Fanned and faved! Great post! I agree. It's what some of us know and distrust and what others choose to hide from to serve their precious ease of use.

[hershykershy]

09:56 AM on 10/14/2010

We need a new constitutional convention to hack out a bill of rights for the new era we find ourselves in "The Internet Age". As we do nothing, government with private capital will collude to spy on us and derail and obstruct citizens who engage in movements to petition their governments and who support the boycott of businesses that are engaged in criminal and/or ethical transgressions. Freedom and rights are not taken away from you on Monday morning after you have woken up from bed. Liberty is slowly eradicated away generation by generation until no one remembers that there was a time when liberty existed. I do not support this, and will not use Bing.

[Gerald Sheffield]

10:18 AM on 10/14/2010

What is liberty? it is not feeling disenfranchized, or born into disposition. working long hours just for food and shelter. freedom is however, to say and do whatever you want without any interference. the wild wild west of economics. this is just two service providers connecting you closer to ideas of your interest. we all do it on a interpersonal level. when we are with friends and they recommend we read a certain book. its simply a virtual recommendation for information. ironically, the internet is the closest thing to your digital freedom. the problem is there is no regulation on what activities are allowed on the internet, so you subject yourself to what freedoms others have to encroach on your daily activities. its not the government, but smart people, ignorant people and all. you want freedom, well the internet is your virutal freedom

[crimghost]

10:50 AM on 10/14/2010

should internet giants like facebook and M$, and Apple be allowed to promote the ideas and comments posts and pictures of all of it's user's to further their own personal gain. If so does that imply that we should also then be allowed to post facebook, microsoft, and apple exploits freely since "internet privacy is over with"? Should the posting of such exploits lead to profit for the person posting them would that also be ok? There are lines which shouldn't be crossed aren't there?
It just seems what you're defending is the wild west internet as an ultimate freedom so long as you're an existing internet giant or corporation. That's lopsided. See my point?

[crimghost]

10:22 AM on 10/14/2010

dead on. I was thinking along the same lines myself. While facebook is partnering with every website it can. the information people post about themselves will now be available to a far larger group of people than was originally intended. We all know facebook's track record on privacy. They won't be satisfied until everything about you can be searched easily by any and everyone. "Internet privacy is over" ring a bell? Maybe Zuckerberg was just opening a door to his true intentions for the future of his buggy little website. Frightening.
Eventually, this will only lead to either an unhealthy self-censoring where people are too careful with what they want to take a stand on, or a database of undesirables that corporations, government and politicians on both sides of the fence can use as an easily accessible blacklist for either the oppression of nonsupportive voices, or a whitelist of loyal supporters that can be summoned to suit their needs within a few clicks. Not cool. Bing is subpar, and facebook is useless to a happily married person. I'm done with both of them.

[Felix Steiner]

09:39 AM on 10/14/2010

If you don't know what Bing is, you can Google it.

[Gerald Sheffield]

09:53 AM on 10/14/2010

lol. 'felix steiner likes this-


15 results for hot moms" lol. i can see this is where its going.

[Michael Plooy]

05:57 PM on 10/14/2010

Nice.

[MohammedAbbasi]

08:14 AM on 10/14/2010

bing is annoying

[JohnMcGurk]

09:20 AM on 10/14/2010

FaceBing sounds even more annoying.

[Gerald Sheffield]

09:53 AM on 10/14/2010

lol

[ectoendomezo]

10:13 AM on 10/14/2010

Thank you!

Annoying and..as usual..also:

Usurious..

Dangerous..

Vicious..

Censored..(At The Source)

Intrusive..

And..as its taking the desperate "Search For Relevancy" that is the psychological Foundation of "Facebook" to its..Zenith..its also..

Incredibly Pathetic!

The really funny part is..this will actually.."Expose" the "Friend" system for what it is:

Absolutely 100% Meaningless Illusion!

For what will the "Results" be for those sad individuals with 500 "Friends"..or..more?

"Your Friends Liked This Also: Page 1 of 300"

Oh..goody-goody gumdrops!

Not only that..but also..this will expose even more personal info about "Friends" that they Did NOT..put on their Corporate Data Mining Free Contribution Page..oops..their "Profile".

Immediately.."Friends"..will be..uhhh..'Questioning Their Friendship" as they discover..by accident:

"Woah...that facebook friend likes...That? Eeewww Gross.."

So..the moral of this grim reality is..'You Better Not Hide and You Better Not Lie..cuz facebing..is coming..to town.."

I wonder what it will take for the Desperate Seekers Of Fake Relevancy..with their constant streams of "Profile Updates" and "Tweets".to realize..its Self Surveillance!

Nothing More..Nothing Less!

Its "Free Music Downloads"..."File Sharing" for Corporate Authoritarianism!

They charge you ".99 Cents A Song"..yet react Viciously..at the mere Mention of maybe..golly garsh..actually "Compensating" the Citizens for their.."Information"!

Yup!

Pathetic!

[Tris Will]

08:10 AM on 10/14/2010

I like facebook to a certain extent but you wont ever see me using bing, thanks to yahoo :)

[mikroskopic]

08:08 AM on 10/14/2010

Guy Debord was right!

[GeneralRipper]

04:46 AM on 10/14/2010

When I go to a coffee shop or school's computer lab, people used to work on projects, read news, write meaningful emails, etc. Now, every other computer screen I look at, I see Facebook page open. They just sit there and stare at their FB homepage for hours. I am the only one reading nyt, huff, bbc while everyone else is staring at one single page without doing anything else (99% of the times - i'll give it to that 1%).

[Name Not In Use]

04:43 AM on 10/14/2010

I don't like Facebook because it assumes you want o be naked in public unless you take action to put on some clothes. The apps are invasive, etc, etc. I just don't put up anything I wouldn't want my enemies to know.

I like Facebook because it helps me stay connected to some people I care about.

If I call my young adult children on the phone I get the same every time. It's a variation on "I'm fine. Nothing much."

On Facebook I get to see snippets of their real life and what they are thinking. I like that.

[Gerald Sheffield]

10:27 AM on 10/14/2010

thats so true and wrong on so many levels. i also like that we can keep connected when we are so far from one another. and its convenient to just check your phone to see what amy is up to....while you hold a business meeting in india. but stateside it seems so contrite to be glued to your phone. the lady asks why i leave my phone in my bed room when im in the living room, i tell her cause im not glued to it.