Women on Web and Plan C: Bings’ Typo-Searching for Abortion

Written By Lisa Smithsonian

Co-authored by Plan C and Women on Web

Bing search engine is found filtering search results using the word “abortion”, while misspelling the word “abortion” is delivering more accurate search results for abortion-seekers.

Every day, thousands of people worldwide rely on search engines to access crucial information about abortion care. For many, these searches are not leisure browsing—they are urgent pleas for help, made in times of crisis and with a real need for safe, helpful, and accurate responses. We know search engines use algorithms, but by nature of an “internet browser,” we assume they are designed to serve up results that are fact-based and a best match for the query. In fact, According to studies 75% of users click on one of the first three results of a search engine results page.

In a time of heightened politics and late-stage capitalism, we realize this is not guaranteed–and recently we made a significant and troubling discovery on the search platform Bing, specific to terms having to do with abortion. Bing, which has a global reach of 1.1B people a month and boasts about 3 million monthly searchers in the US, holds a significant stake in the search engine market. Additionally, platforms like DuckDuckGo, AOL, and Yahoo pull their search results from Bing, extending the reach of its influence and, with just this March 2024, 23.71% of desktop search results coming from these platforms alone.

Despite these market shares, recent extensive research from our team has revealed an alarming pattern: there seems to be a filter on Bing search results using the word “abortion,” which systematically eliminates or filters out essential abortion resources for seekers.

We found out that searches for terms like "abortion hotline" or "abortion clinic guide" provide vastly different results depending on the introduction of typos in the term “abortion”.  Misspelling the word “abortion” (think: "abbbortion" or "aNbortion") unexpectedly surface different and more accurate results including direct resources and services, while in searches with their correctly spelled counterparts (“abortion”) abortion services and organizations are mysteriously absent from results. This phenomenon extends to various organizations crucial for abortion care, including the Center for Reproductive Rights, the M+A Hotline and services like Aid Access and Abuzz Health, and the National Network of Abortion Funds. In addition, there were several instances of this occurring in foreign language searches, and it was notably evident for English search queries related to specific countries, such as “abortion access in Germany”.

Our conclusion is that this is no accident or glitch, this is a filter that Bing team members have built to manipulate search results, perhaps to sidestep abortion controversy all together. We do not think it is nefarious or anti-access/anti-abortion because it also seems to filter out Crisis Pregnancy Centers or “fake clinics.” 

Example 1: pregnancy justice

pregnancy justice abortion

pregnancy justice abbbortion

pregnancy justice abbbortion abortion

Example 2: i need an abortion

i need aortion

i need aortion abortion

i need an abbbortion

i need an abbbortion abortion

But the impacts reach farther than Bing.com –  because of the partnerships described above in which Bing's search results are pulled into other engines, filtering extends to influence search results on platforms like AOL and DuckDuckGo - the latter of which is widely recommended in the abortion space as a secure and trusted browser. This exacerbates the impact of Bing’s filter manipulation across a broader spectrum of users – and coupled with Bing's autocorrect feature (which corrects typo terms back to their original, in this case defaulting the searcher back to the filtered, limited “abortion” search results), poses a significant barrier to individuals seeking accurate and reliable information about their abortion care.

The consequences of this filter are impossible to calculate but certainly, they are far-reaching, harmful, and potentially life-altering for abortion-seekers. Individuals in urgent need of accurate information may be directed instead towards irrelevant, misleading, confusing, or incomplete sources – from news articles to abortion blogs that don’t list resources to ones that actively discourage it – jeopardizing the individual’s health and well-being and altering their long-term outcomes as they make these important and time-sensitive decisions. 

Moreover, the systematic manipulation of search results raises larger concerns about our ability as a society to navigate the next chapter of reproductive rights against politico-religious strategies to limit and control information and services. We have questions about the ethical and business consequences of such manipulation, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. We know that ChatGPT pulls, or has pulled, search results from Microsoft’s Bing. Microsoft’s search tool might be informing and training their AI and impacting the future of discoverability/search. Though at the moment of writing, GPT4 / Copilot seems to be very capable of answering abortion access questions accurately and thoughtfully. 

Search “i need an abortion” vs “i need an aNbortion.” In search 1, ineedana is nowhere to be found. In search 2 with the abortion typo, ineedana.com is the second result.

The revelation of systematic filtering in Bing's search results for abortion underscores the critical need for transparency, accountability, and ethical standards in digital platforms. As we navigate the complexities of information dissemination in the digital age, search engines hold great power – and with this, they must uphold their responsibility to provide accurate, comprehensive, and unbiased information as promised, especially on topics as sensitive, complex, and time-critical as abortion access. 

Our ask: 

We call on Microsoft to immediately cease the removal of accurate information about abortion access from their search results.

As more and more people turn to Bing and Copilot for guidance in their most vulnerable moments, the stakes are too high to overlook the consequences of search results manipulation.

Here's How You Can Help:

Share this post and let your communities know. By spreading awareness, we can work together to advocate for transparency, accountability, and ethical considerations in digital platforms, ensuring access to accurate and reliable information, especially on sensitive topics like abortion access.

Lisa Smithsonian
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