ONI Releases Special Report on Microsoft Bing Filtering in Arab World

By: Jillian C. York on 4 March 2010
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Sex, Social Mores, and Keyword Filtering: Microsoft Bing in the "Arabian Countries"
Middle East and North Africa
Probing Chinese search engine filtering
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Google's recent decision to stop filtering keywords on its Chinese platform, Google.cn, sparked discussion in the media about the role of corporations in controlling access to online material in repressive nations.

Microsoft recently added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing debate regarding the filtering and censorship practices of U.S. search engines via its own search engine, Bing. ONI testing reveals liberal filtering by Bing in one of the most censored regions in the world: the Arab countries.

The new OpenNet Initiative report, authored by Helmi Noman, explores Microsoft Bing's practice of filtering keywords related to sex and LGBT issues across the Arab world.

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