We reach for Facebook when it comes to photo sharing with friends on the web. All those accumulated memories are a resource when you are searching about something. Bing makes it slightly easier to connect photos and search now with a new feature called Friends’ Photo. Bing being a search engine first and foremost, it is obvious the new feature is meant for searching and browsing through all shared albums and photos in your Facebook social circle.

Bing’s social sidebar had already revamped search as it also displayed social search results in a separate column depending on your search query. It also brought in related photos uploaded by friends, thus making it easy to connect with friends who might know answers to your search. They logically became the best candidates to ask for information on the related search (for e.g. searching for a vacation location, accommodation in a city, a product etc.).

Bing is planning to extend that connected experience with Friends’ Photo. From the search bar, you can directly connect to the photos from your Facebook friends that match your search. From there, you can also search for additional photos, or simply browse the recent photos from your friends. So, in essence, the Friends’ Photo feature becomes an image browser that connects your search term to all shared photos of your Facebook friends.

On the question of privacy, the Bing blog states,

On Bing, your Facebook privacy settings are always respected. Your Facebook friends will only be able to see the photos you have made viewable, and you will only see photos your friends have made viewable, and your photos will never be shared with the public.

Source: Bing Blog