Microsoft Hopes To Dent Google With Ad-Free Searches at Schools
By technology editor Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Bing, the Microsoft search engine, is looking at secondary schools as the next front in its web-search war against Google.
Now, Microsoft's search engine is promising to make school computers an ad-free zone when using Bing for their searches.
"When I looked at the ads that are served up in the classroom, this was really surprising to me -- we just assume it's sacred ground," says Regina Lewis with the Bing campaign.
She says the company is signing up schools to be considered for the first shot at the program that would block advertising in search results -- something that goes against the traditional online business model of search engines.
"It's an area I think we've overlooked -- technology tends to get out in front of policy just because the transformation is happening so fast," she says.
Microsoft also is offering a rewards program of sorts: use Bing and earn points toward Surface tablets for schools.
Despite its own extensive advertising, Microsoft has long lagged behind Google, where about seven of every ten online searches in the US start.
