London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Microsoft blames 'accidental human error' for Tank Man censorship on Tiananmen Square anniversary

Microsoft blames 'accidental human error' for Tank Man censorship on Tiananmen Square anniversary

Users in the UK, US and elsewhere were met with the message 'there are no results for tank man' on Friday.

Microsoft has blamed "accidental human error" for its search engine Bing failing to produce any results for 'Tank Man' on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests.

Users in the UK, US, Germany and Singapore were met with the message "There are no results for tank man" when they searched for it on Friday - the 32nd anniversary of the demonstrations.

'Tank Man' refers to an image of a lone protester standing in the path of an oncoming tank during the suppression of student-led protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

Although the man was never identified, it has become the defining image of the military crackdown, which many refer to as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, and killed between hundreds and thousands of people.


Microsoft has been accused of censoring the image and co-operating with China, which refers to the suppression as the 'June 4 incident' and bans any discussion of it.

Although China applies censorship to search engines operating in its jurisdiction, it has no power to ban content beyond its borders.

A large number of Microsoft employees who work on Bing are located in China.

Tiananmen Gate in Beijing is pictured on 4 June.


Kenneth Roth, of Human Rights Watch, tweeted to say the "inadvertent error" was "hard to believe". "Outrageous," he posted.

David Greene, civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation said that content moderation often poses challenges for search engines and "egregious mistakes are made all the time".

But he added: "At worst, this was a purposeful suppression at the request of a powerful state."

Protesters in Hong Kong still gathered despite restrictions.

Chinese communities across the world gathered in solidarity to remember those lost in the protests, who were fighting against rapid socio-economic change in the post-Mao era.

In Hong Kong, where China passed national security laws earlier this year, protests were less busy than usual after authorities banned them. People wore masks and held up their smartphones in lieu of the usual candlelit vigil.

The organiser barrister Chow Hang Tung, 36, was arrested hours before it took place.

Microsoft said in a statement that the issue was "due to an accidental human error" and the site was "actively working to resolve this".

The 'Tank Man' images had returned to the search engine in the UK early on Saturday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×