Microsoft launched its new search engine Bing earlier this month and one of its great new features is a video search tool called called Smart Motion Previews. It's a preview feature that let you view and listen to part of a video by hovering over it with your mouse.
This is all fine and dandy, but when it was discovered that it worked for porn site previews also, and that it could be easily accessed by kids, it caused quite a bit of concern among parents. Bing had noted on its blog how to use Smart Motion Previews in combination with its SafeSearch feature, but apparently it was still very easy for kids to view explicit adult content on its site. Yesterday Microsoft announced that it has made changes that will make it easier for parents to block and monitor what their kids are watching when they visit Bing.
To be fair, kids can easily access explicit adult content by searching Google or other search engines without "strict filtering" enabled, or by simply knowing the URL of a porn site. When Bing discovered that it was making it even easier for kids (also schools and businesses) to view these materials, it acted fast to make two significant changes:
"First, potentially explicit images and video content will now be coming from a separate single domain, explicit.bing.net. This is invisible to the end customer, but allows for filtering of that content by domain which makes it much easier for customers at all levels to block this content regardless of what the SafeSearch settings might be. This makes it much easier for filtering software to block unwanted content if SafeSearch has been turned off.In addition, Bing will begin returning source url information in the query string for images and video content so that companies who already use this method of filtering will be able to catch explicit content on Bing along with everything else they are already blocking for their customers." An example of such a query string is:
http://ts2.explicit.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=974382499649&id=12ae77a7fed979b0502840bedacd2552&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.explicitsite.com%2fexplicit-picturegoeshere.jpg
CNET News reports "the company has reached out to more than 25 filtering and security vendors to work with them to provide a solution for filtering explicit content while using Bing".
While there are parental controls built into Vista and Mac OS X and software like Safe Eyes to keep kids from viewing porn online, ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents to impose rules and guidelines and to monitor their internet usage. It's also good to have discussions about what you consider is appropriate behavior online and to keep up with the latest trends and technology.
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
how is this any different than youtube porn? or google image porn? or any other free porn on the web...
are we still talking about porn on the internet? wow
I fine Bing very un-useful it slow and it its just being hyped the parental controls are very easy I found to get around you can disable it with easy and any one know kids are very good at getting around parental controls in Vista and even Win 7 isn't any better . third party software works but not on site that MS partners Testing bing show it no faster than any other search engine and in Video search it even slower on a system with win 7 RC running with gb or ram 750 gbs of video ram (dual video cards) and a 2ghz cpu so the system isn't factor. I tested with IE 8 FireFox and Flock Bing was slower in IE as it seem to add an tke over the the default search engine as soon as i used it something I did not like. Also spyware in Bing searches your system and network another thing i do not like. you can telling you are not in the cite or place is finds you in so that was good but all the time i was on it knew where i was and I did not like this.
MS want to rule your OS and you search habits and you AV software(MS anti-virus ya right )
Bing is more hype and line MSN search isn't anything to I write home about it push MS partners more than anything and on a search in Google Yahoo and Bing for the same videos and files it was slowing in IE in all it per-load Video with bugs that had nothing to do I with the video I was searching for. as for parental controls they were as I said very easy to over come so a good third party software or a limited account foe the kids and all.
I think the kids system should never have a adults account on it but the adults need full access I think Blink from eEye.com is great for keeping an eye on you network I found for pro and home. Third party software is going to be you best bet something with a USB key as this is the best kind
I found to keep kids from going place they don't need to and it can keep pop up adds as well.
I would say test bing more but its just not anything better that what out now.
GC
The filter is not that useful, i think
True or not my friend ?
@greene consulting: "[insert any software company here] want to rule your OS and you search habits and you AV software".
Of course MS want to get the biggest market share possible, as do Google, Yahoo etc. As a consultant I would expect you to understand.
I would say test bing more but its just not anything better that what out now.
Be not to like it very much .
Don't think that that would work very well.
I see.http://www.kscastings.com/
I fine Bing very un-useful it slow and it its just being hyped the parental controls are very easy I found to get around you can disable it with easy and any one know kids are very good at getting seo around parental controls in Vista and even Win 7 isn't any better . third party software works but not on site that MS partners Testing bing show it no faster than any other mantolama search engine and in Video search it even slower on a system with win 7 RC running with gb or ram 750 dış cephe kaplama gbs of video ram (dual video cards) and a 2ghz cpu so the system isn't factor. I tested with IE 8 FireFox and Flock Bing was slower in IE as it seem to add an tke over the the default search engine as soon as i used it something I did not like. Also söve spyware in Bing searches your system and network another thing i do not like. you can telling you are söve not in the cite or place is finds you in so that was good but all the time i was on it knew where i was and I did not like this
Thanks for any suggestions