The internet, and Microsoft’s Bing search engine in particular has become a haven for illegal drug operations. A recent report has found that the vast majority of so-called pharmacies operating on Microsoft Bing are, in fact, illegal operations. Searchsecurity.com, in an August 2009 report have stated that 90% of pharmacies on Bing are illegal:

“Nine out of 10 of the pharmacies are operating illegally, according to the report “No Prescription Required: Bing.com Prescription Drug ads” by Interent compliance company Knujon and LegitScript, an Internet pharmacy verification organization. Illicit activities include:

–Selling prescription drugs, including controlled substances, without prescriptions.

–Not being licensed as a pharmacy in any U.S. jurisdiction, despite Microsoft’s policy of only sponsoring Internet pharmacies that supply drugs from the United States or Canada.

–Providing unregulated, unapproved prescription drugs.” (source)

The story goes on to mention how several of these sites are linked to Russian organized crime. It should come as no surprise that commonly targeted drugs are also commonly abused drugs according to the above article: “Soma (carisoprodol, a muscle relaxant), Ultram (tramadol, a pain reliever) and Ambien (a sleep aid), erectile dysfunction drugs–Viagra, Cialis, Levitra,and Valtrex, used to treat herpes.” For their part, Microsoft has responded by stating that they take this report very seriously. Of course illegal pharmacies are nothing new to the Internet, but it is perhaps somewhat startling to realize the severity of the illegal activity that is flourishing online.

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