bing-logoUptil now Bing, the latest search engine by Microsoft  has been liked by many including me. The Bing includes a sleeky and streamlined interface, yields powerful and productive search results and also a very cool Video feature. However there is some problem associated with this cool Video feature. However I would like to make it very clear that it is not related to the problems associated with the video functionality. The Video feature is somehow providing easy access to pornographic and inappropriate videos and sites. This might alarm the parents for reasons well understood by everyone. Even employeers would be alarmed by this.

Although this video feature makes it possible for the user to see a thumbnail of the video without having to leave the search site. The same feature is making access to inappropriate content quite easy as well. With Bing, one can easily search for porn related sites and the  results will shows the sites alongwith the associated thumbnail videos.  When a user hovers the mouse over that thumbnail, the thumbnails play for a few seconds (around 30 seconds).

This feature is enabling the viewers specially children to view porn videos without having to visit the porn site. To add to the problem, this feature makes it all the more difficult for the parents to control viewage of pornography since the users never shift out of the search engine.

There is no denying that this video feature is attractive but the highlighted problem is creating definite problems and represents quite a significant difference between Bing and other search engines. Bob Kessinger, who happens to be the vice president of security company CyberPatrol.

You’re presumably on a search site. You could be presented with 20 or 30 thumbnail images that the video plays right into the browser. Employees or kids could be accessing that content without ever going to the host URL.It really presents a problem when you have inappropriate material.

There is Bing’s Age verification tool but it is not effective,it seems to be helpless in blocking underage users to access inappropriate sites and content. It is very easy to bypass this age verification test. Kessinger added:

That doesn’t work in a work setting either. Everybody presumably is over 18. You still don’t want your employees to go there.

Here you have it, Microsoft has a pressing issue in its hand, and the IT giant must be quick to respond to this issue and resolve it. Let us hope that Microsoft is listening.