REDMOND, Wash. – Microsoft has announced two modifications to its search engine, Bing, which are designed to make it easier for parents, institutions and internal networks to filter out websites that contain sexually-explicit videos or photographs. The move comes as the result of widespread criticism upon the SEs release that it was all too easy for minors and others to view such content.

The solution, which was announced in a blog post June 12, is simple and progressive. The company has created a separate website, explicit.bing.net, for sexually-explicit content, and also is returning source URL information in query strings.

“First, potentially explicit images and video content will now be coming from a separate single domain, explicit.bing.net,” the company announcement said. This is invisible to the end customer, but allows for filtering of that content by domain which makes it much easier for customers at all levels to block this content regardless of what the SafeSearch settings might be. This makes it much easier for filtering software to block unwanted content if SafeSearch has been turned off.

“In addition,” the statement continues, “we will begin returning source url information in the query string for images and video content so that companies who already use this method of filtering will be able to catch explicit content on Bing along with everything else they are already blocking for their customers.“

According to CNET, “Microsoft spokesman David Burt said the company has reached out to more than 25 filtering and security vendors to work with them to provide a solution for filtering explicit content while using Bing”

If parents actually take advantage of the filtering tools available to them, they will be able to block domain and therefore the images and videos contained on them. Almost all third-party filtering tools also can be configured to block specific domains or sites, as can the parental controls embedded in Microsoft Vista and Mac OS X.

Previous to making these adjustments, all a visitor to Bing had to do was make a simgle click to adjust the built-in filtering, the default setting of which was set to exclude explicit photos and videos, and the videos would begin to play as the cursor moved over them. The ease of access not just to the search results but also to watch the videos – by simply moving one’s cursor over the thumbnail mof the video – prompted almost immediate complaints by child protection organizations such as Enough is Enough, which is run by Donna Rice Hughes.