What is a hiybbprqag or a mbzrxpgjys? They are made up words used by Google to prove that Microsoft copies its Bing search results from Google Search under certain circumtances.

Google made up the terms and added them to their search index and made sure they returned a single search result. The website in the search results had no connection to the made up words.

As if by magic Bing started serving up the same results for the same random search keywords.

This could not happen unless Microsoft were copying the result from Google.

Google have accused Microsoft of collecting search data from users PCs via Internet Explorer or a browser toolbar. I suspect the truth is this :

- Google modify their search index to return a single result for any search including hiybbprqag or a mbzrxpgjys.
- A Google engineer enters the search on Bing to check their results. Bing returns no results for the made up search terms.
- Bing worries that they have returned zero results to a user so copies the search result from Google to fill the hole.
- The Bing result now presents a result for the made up search term.
- Bing are busted as it becomes clear they copied the result from Google's results.

Google appear to be a bit vague in exactly how they carried out their "sting" so I suspect I am right and by "prodding" Bing they encouraged it to look elsewhere for additional search results.

As a user I just want results so I don't care less if they copy each others results ...