Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seems to think Google wants special treatment on Internet Explorer, writes CNET, referring to Google's complaint that Microsoft's MSN Search is the default search engine for the search box in the new Internet Explorer 7 web browser. The complaints are intended to ensure that Google doesn't face competition, Ballmer suggested. "Google wants us to prompt the users to change the defaults. They want to see a list of search providers, with the No. 1 search provider listed first," said Ballmer; he was not referring to discussions with Google, but merely paraphrasing its approach.

IE 7 offers an alphabetical list of search sites that users can select as the default search engine, but it doesn't actively suggest to users that they can change the default, which is based on their recent search histories or other behavior: "If you pick Yahoo, it will stay on Yahoo," Ballmer said.

Google cofounder Sergey Brin this week referred to Microsoft as a "convicted monopoly"; Ballmer sought to turn the tables on Google, referring to its dominance in search: "We want to make sure there is good, healthy competition in the advertising space," Ballmer said. "Everybody deserves good competition. People have been telling me that for years."