Bing and Google maps are sometimes not the best of friends. The two services independently send out cars on the regular, mapping out different parts of the world and taking 360 degree pictures in order to give users a full picture of what’s happening on the streets. Some reporting from The Verge pointed out that, when a Microsoft car meets one of Google’s cars, Microsoft isn’t very kind to it.
Whereas Google doesn’t touch the photo of the Bing car (according to this Tumblr post,) Microsoft uses a big white square to smite Google’s car from existence, obscuring it from view. In a relationship between the companies that has thus far been fairly amicable, it’s strange to see a rivalry rise up over their map services. The images date back to July 2014, so chances are, this is some sort of legal decision on the part of Microsoft.
