Microsoft Bing has tweaked its search history features to promote its stance on privacy in a move designed to needle Google. Its upped the time it stores your searches in a cookie from 48 hours to 4 weeks while also making it easier to delete your entire search history.
The new policy currently seems to have only taken effect on the US version of the site while Bing.co.uk remains unchanged. So if you want to take advantage of the new more private approach, best surf to Bing.com.
Search the site and you’ll find a history link in the left hand column with three options – clear all, see all and turn off. If you select ‘clear all’, you’ll be able to purge your search history. ‘See all’ will give you a record of all the sites you’ve visited recently while ‘turn off’ will stop the history function from recording the sites you visit.
Microsoft now stores the sites you visit in a browser cookie for four weeks. While removing your history clears Bing’s Search History function, Microsoft says it does still anonymously log searches.
Microsoft has taken the opportunity to not-so-subtly criticise Google noting that: “We’ve tried to build privacy and respect for your search history into the overall experience and not an after thought. Too many systems provide us with choice but little control.”
Google recently extended Personalised Search to all users, saving their browsing habits, whether or not they had opted in to the feature. Google stores browsing information in a cookie for 180 days.
Off hand comments by head honcho Eric Schmidt recently led a Firefox executive to recommend Bing over Google. Microsoft’s also made its way onto the iPhone with a Google app fighting Big app. The search war is back on!
Out now | £free | Bing
