'Outrageous': Microsoft faces backlash as 'human error' on Bing blocks 'tank man' results

After its search engine Bing blocked image and video results for the phrase “tank man”, an iconic image reference of a lone protester facing the tanks during 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square, Microsoft has blamed human error. The legendary picture was captured by an Associated Press photo editor based in Bangkok, Jeff Widener on June 5, 1989. However, on the 32nd anniversary of China’s military crackdown, when users tried to search “tank man,” they reported that no results were shown for the search query in countries including the US, Germany, Singapore, France and Switzerland, according to Vice News and other media publications. 

Even though references to the pro-democracy protest movement have been censored in China with the government’s strict control, the censorship by Bing extended to users outside China’s “great firewall.” Following the outrage and internet users posting screenshots of the search results on Bing, Microsoft said that the issue was “due to an accidental human error and we are actively working to resolve this.” 

Due to the “error,” smaller search engines such as DuckDuckGo that licence results from Microsoft also faced similar outcome with users searching “tank man.” But they assured that it is expected to be fixed soon. Meanwhile, Bing’s competitor Google showed many results for the famous image that shows a man dressed in a white shirt and black pants standing in front of China’s military tanks. 

June 5, 1989, AP file photo, a Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Changan Blvd. in Tiananmen Square (AP Photo/Jeff Widener, File)

China bans Tiananmen Square anniversary in HK

Bing’s so-called ‘human error’ came as China’s continues its crackdown on Hong Kong’s autonomy where it also banned the Tiananmen Square anniversary vigil for the second year in a row. As per The Guardian report, the concerns over the extent of China exerting economic pressure to enforce its censorship overseas has also mounted with the recent incident with Microsoft’s search engine. 

China’s influence on other nations was revealed even last week when American actor John Cena made a public apology for referring to Taiwan as “a country” that China and its citizens took as an offence. Beijing insists the island is not an independent state. Reportedly, US-based tech giants have struggled for a long time in order to balance their willingness to operate in China’s humungous market with the demands of censorship by its authoritarian government. 

IMAGE: AP/PTI/Twitter