Bing Blocks Indie Web Haven: Millions of Sites Vanish

Bing has inexplicably blocked roughly 1.5 million independent websites hosted on Neocities, a platform preserving the spirit of the 1990s internet. Founded in 2013, Neocities allows users to create personalized websites without standardized templates, fostering creativity for art, fandoms, and niche expertise.

Kyle Drake, Neocities' founder, discovered the complete block in January after initial issues last summer. He noted a dramatic drop in Bing traffic from approximately 500,000 daily visitors to zero. Drake expressed concern about potential phishing attacks targeting users through fake front-page copies on Bing's search results.

Despite submitting numerous support tickets and attempting to engage Microsoft through various channels, Drake faced significant challenges in resolving the issue. He highlighted the frustration of dealing with automated chatbots and the difficulty of reaching human support. Although Bing holds a small percentage of the global search market, its data is licensed by other search engines, amplifying the impact.

Microsoft confirmed that some Neocities sites were delisted for violating policies aimed at preventing low-quality sites. However, the company did not specify which sites were problematic or engage directly with Neocities to resolve ongoing blocks not linked to violations. While some Neocities front-page results were restored within 24 hours of external inquiry, many subdomains remained blocked, leaving the situation uncertain.

Drake fears that the ongoing blocks endanger the visibility of creative, human-generated content in an era increasingly dominated by AI-generated material. He has called for a boycott of Bing and Bing-powered search engines until the issue is resolved, emphasizing Neocities as a bastion of authentic online expression. Microsoft declined to provide further clarification on the current status of the blocks.