Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Shoves Bing Toolbar Down People's Throats Using Windows Update, Cheats Search Engine Meters

Big yawn



Summary: Microsoft's hyperaggressive business practices lead to a withdrawal and require companies to change how they measure search engine market share

MICROSOFT OFTEN abuses Windows Update, which was intended to be about security, not about promoting services like Bong [sic].



Microsoft "sabotages" Firefox every now and then by modifying the Web browser without the users' permission. It last happened earlier this month. Microsoft goes further than that by bundling new software with Windows Update (which was supposed to target security issues), then pretending it was an accident:

Microsoft has bundled a Bing toolbar add-on along with its Patch Tuesday security update.

The download adds the Bing toolbar to the Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox web browsers of certain users without their permission.

[...]

Microsoft told tech news site The Register that the stealth toolbar installation was the result of a bug in the update, and that the problem has since been taken care of.


This publication put scare quotes around 'Bug' in the headline. How can a company install an entire piece of software "by accident"? Perhaps this 'bug' is backlash from the public. Well, maybe; but maybe it's something else. Either way, the thing about Microsoft is, it has already victimised many people's Web browsers -- browsers which are now stuck with this unwanted toolbar. Microsoft gets to say that it fixed the 'bug', but the mission was accomplished because many forceful installations went through.

Let this prove that Microsoft has never changed. It's a highly unethical company that lets no law get in its way. The browser ballot which Microsoft had to implement to dodge massive fines (for serious violations of the law) is something that took Microsoft many times to get right as well. There kept being all sorts of 'bugs' that always worked in Microsoft's favour. See for example:

  1. Browser Ballot Critique
  2. Microsoft's Fake “Choice” Campaign is Back
  3. Microsoft Claimed to be Cheating in Web Browsers Ballot
  4. Microsoft Loses Impact in the Web Despite Unfair Ballot Placements
  5. Given Choice, Customers Reject Microsoft
  6. Microsoft is Still Cheating in Browser Ballot -- Claim
  7. The Microsoft Who Cried “Wolf!”


When it comes to search market share, Microsoft has just 3% of the market, according to this new article from Forbes, which says that "Microsoft Slumps" and explains:

Fast forward to June 2010. Microsoft has lost 40% of the market in Internet browser use--Google's Chrome browser and the "open source" Mozilla Firefox browser control one-third of the market along with 100% of the media buzz. And in spite of years of effort, Microsoft owns a mere 3% of the search market worldwide, compared with 84% for Google.


The article is more of an Apple vs Microsoft comparison, with more at CNN/Fortune. "Technology Research Group: More Downside Risk Than Upside Potential In Microsoft," says another new article about Microsoft's trouble. At this stage, Microsoft directly interferes with rivals rather than improve its own products.

“At this stage, Microsoft directly interferes with rivals rather than improve its own products.”So far over the past 2.5 years we have seen how Microsoft used unethical tactics to hijack Yahoo!, which now has an alliance (meaning that Yahoo! serves Microsoft).

The same dishonesty which was exposed over a week ago keeps making false headlines such as [1, 2, 3, 4], claiming that both Yahoo! and Microsoft have gained market share in search. They are publishing lies in the press, thanks to comScore which allowed Microsoft to manipulate it (Microsoft is also gaming others who are Microsoft partners that claim to measure US market share in search). Even comScore, despite being a Microsoft partner [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10], had to admit its numbers were bunk. They are breaking search and as BNET puts it, Microsoft is gaming the system. The headline says "How Yahoo and Microsoft are Gaming the Search Market, and Why it Will End". Well, when will disinformation from the press end? Microsoft is spamming its way into claims of gains and typically, the press only mentions US market share, which almost triples Microsoft's real impact.

As a side note, regarding Hotmail, Microsoft is suing some more, as covered in:



There are even articles about it from Microsoft itself, using the R&D Magazine that it so regularly uses for self promotion and PR. Then there are the shameless advertising gigs from Ina Fried and others [1, 2] who play along with the PR.

Microsoft is cheating online for bragging rights. When it comes to money, however, Microsoft loses at a pace of about $3 billion per year.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IX: Minimum Wages For You (Experienced Scientist), Alicante/EU Paydays For Me (Unproductive, Corrupt Official)
Does UPRP maladministration extend to the false belief that qualified and experienced scientists can play the role of circus clowns?
"The Liberating Power of Simply Telling People the Truth."
'polite' bullying
Who Imitates Who? Plagiarist as Client (From Microsoft), 'Plagiarism' at the Law Firm?
let's revisit the subject
EPO's Central Staff Committee (CSC) Scrutinises the Man Who Illegally Grants (and Forces Others to Illegally Participate in Granting) Software Patents in Europe
EPO compels examiners to break the law in the name of obeying illegal "rules" or "orders"
The Latest Rumour Says The Next (as Correctly Predicted Before) Wave of Layoffs at Microsoft is 3 Weeks Away, "Larger Than the First Wave"
Step 2
TV Licensing Used to SPAM Your Postbox, Now It Does the Same to E-mail
First they ask for your E-mail address; then they start nagging you via E-mail
Our Priority is Still Tackling Software Patents and Corruption in Patent Offices
Meanwhile we got compliments on our recent articles, which means that they are effective
Slopwatch: Another Day, Another Slopfest, LLM Slop Scrapers Slow Down Our Site
We too have some slop issues; this past day this site and the sister site had to answer about 2.5 million requests (not counting Gemini Protocol) and it's slowing things down for everybody
 
Links 12/06/2025: Portland Homeless Deaths Quadruple, COVID Cases Surge in Asia
Links for the day
EPO's Gareth Lord Asked About "Quality and Productivity" or, Put Another Way, Why the EPO Keeps Granting So Many Invalid/Illegal Patents
letter to Lord
The Toxic Playbook
Either you support Prince Mohammed bin Salman or you're a nazi
It's Possible That BetaNews Got Cracked, But Nobody Talks About It, The Site Contains an Outdated Old Image, No Activity
It's possible that they will never explain what happened to the site and users' accounts
Links 12/06/2025: Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/06/2025: Video Game Diegesis and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Why the Militants Have Lost Every Battle Since 2022 (When Attacking My Wife and I in Various Ways, Even Attacking Our Employers)
This takes patience, sure, but at the end most evildoers face the consequences for their actions
Politics Will Impact Software Choices
Will those systems respect users' freedom?
EPO: Neglecting Children to Promote American Monopolies by Shielding Them From European Competition
Yesterday the Central Staff Committee at the EPO spoke about another "reform" at the Office
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Links 11/06/2025: More Vulnerabilities Found in 'Smart' Phones, China Extends Reach in the Pacific
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/06/2025: Grain and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Links 11/06/2025: "Quantum" Hype From IBM, US Closer to Martial Law, and “The Nation” Celebrates Milestone
Links for the day
IBM's CEO Roasted, Sizzled and Grilled for Dumb and Inconsistent Vapourware Promises
It looks like being a chronic liar is what it takes to lead the company once synonymous with computing
IBM's Goal Is Not (and Never Was) Computer Users' Freedom
More than 1.5 decades ago I found IBM to be an "ally of convenience" because of OpenDocument Format (ODF)
Wayland Shows the IBM/Red Hat Way of Doing Things
IBM is trying to 'kill' X
GitHub is Proprietary, Controlled by Microsoft, and GPL Violation Warehouse
"IRS tax filing software [will be] released to the people as free software" ... In general this is good news
Slopfarm Catastrophe
Seems like BetaNews (or BetaNoise) has just suffered a major data loss and restored the site from a week-old backup
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VIII: Illegal Working Conditions
How many people need to die for these people to get their massive salaries?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Links 10/06/2025: Apple Hype and Physical Attacks on Bloggers
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/06/2025: Loon Lake, Farming, and Forth
Links for the day
Links 10/06/2025: Jaws at 50 and US Democracy Crushed Very Rapidly (Martial Law Seems Imminent)
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VII: Washing Their Hands After Corruption and Abuse
"Tragedy or comedy?"
Culling Bad RSS Feeds of Bad Sites
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
If 'Microsoft v Techrights' is Dealt With by a 'Microsoft Court' (or a Court Outsourced to Microsoft)
More on that later
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 09, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 09, 2025
Gemini Protocol Turns Six in 10 Days From Now
If you haven't tried it yet, then give it a go today
Live as You Preach
technology is fast becoming dysphoric