---
title: "Bing now asks some searchers to verify they are human"
url: https://surfil.com/news/bing-verify-you-are-human-check
section: news
language: en
published: 2026-09-18T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Technical SEO"]
---

# Bing now asks some searchers to verify they are human

## The short answer

Bing is showing some searchers a verify-you-are-human checkbox before any results appear, according to Search Engine Roundtable on 18 September 2026. The screen asks users to solve a challenge to continue. Barry Schwartz could not reproduce it, and the cause is not stated. Google reportedly tightened scraper blocking in the same week.

## Key takeaways

- Search Engine Roundtable reported on 18 September 2026 that Bing shows some users a verify-you-are-human screen before search results.
- The screen tells users to take one last step and solve a challenge, which in the reported case was a checkbox.
- Barry Schwartz said he could not replicate the check, so what triggers it is unknown from the source.
- The only evidence cited is a screenshot and a post from Sachin Patel, and Bing has not been quoted explaining it.
- Google is separately reported to be blocking scrapers and third-party tracking tools more effectively since about 13 September.

Search Engine Roundtable reports that Bing is asking some searchers to verify they are human before
it shows results. The report is thin, and this article states only what it and one related report
contain.

## What is Bing showing users?

According to [Search Engine Roundtable](https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-verify-you-are-human-42102.html),
some users who search on Bing first see a "verify you are human" screen. It tells them to take "one
last step" and solve "the challenge below to continue," and the reported challenge is a checkbox.
Sachin Patel, who posted it on X and on Search Engine Watch, wrote: "When a user searches for
something, this verification screen appears before showing the results." The evidence is a
screenshot Patel supplied.

## Can anyone reproduce it?

Not in the source. Barry Schwartz wrote that he cannot replicate it. The report does not say what
triggers the screen, how many users see it or whether it is a test or a permanent change. Bing has
not been quoted explaining it. Treat it as an unconfirmed, intermittent behavior.

## How does this relate to Google?

Schwartz frames Bing as following Google, which he says is asking users to verify they are human
"a lot, in various forms." The same publication reports that
[Google has been blocking scrapers and third-party tracking tools](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-blocking-scrapers-and-tracking-tools-42118.html)
more effectively since around 13 September. Nozzle's Derek Perkins cited about an 80% drop in the
data he could get from Google, and said he saw the same with data from DataForSEO. Sistrix posted
on its status page on 16 September that its data collection was running at a reduced rate after
Google changed how results are delivered.

That report does not link Bing's screen to any of it, and neither do we. Our fuller write-up of
the Google side is
[Google appears to be blocking scrapers and rank trackers harder](/news/google-scraper-blocking-rank-tracker-impact).

## What should SEOs do about it?

Nothing that changes a strategy yet. The practical risk is to data, not rankings:

- If you run rank tracking or scraping against Bing, watch for challenge pages in your responses
  and log them rather than treating them as results.
- If a third-party tool shows a sudden drop in Bing or Google visibility, check it against your
  own analytics before acting. Schwartz warns that tool data may be wrong while blocking is in
  flux.

For the wider context, see the [technical SEO hub](/topics/technical-seo). We will update this
piece if Bing comments.

## Common questions

### What is Bing showing searchers?

A screen that asks the user to verify they are human before search results load. In the reported case the user clicks a checkbox and solves the challenge to continue.

### Why is Bing doing this?

The source does not say. Barry Schwartz could not replicate the screen and reports no explanation from Bing, so the cause is unknown as of this writing.

## Sources

1. [Bing also asks users to verify you are human before showing search results](https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-verify-you-are-human-42102.html) - Search Engine Roundtable (primary)
2. [Google is blocking scrapers and tracking tools](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-blocking-scrapers-and-tracking-tools-42118.html) - Search Engine Roundtable