Posted on 12/29/2007 6:49:03 AM PST by TexasCajun
A funny thing happens if you Google the name of one of America's leading conservative magazines: a warning comes up stating, "This site may harm your computer."
Think I'm kidding?
A screen-capture of the first page of Google web search results for "American Spectator" follows, although readers are strongly encouraged to investigate for themselves (image is blurry due to space constraints):
If you click on the link "This site may harm your computer [1]," the following explanation appears:
Why do some of my search results say "This site may harm your computer?"
We want our users to feel safe when they search the web, and we're continuously working to identify dangerous sites and increase protection for our users. This warning message appears with search results we've identified as sites that may install malicious software on your computer:
If you click the title of the result, you'll be shown the following warning rather than being taken immediately to the webpage in question:
You can choose to continue to the site at your own risk. However, please be aware that malicious software is often installed without your knowledge or permission when you visit these sites, and can include programs that delete data on your computer, steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers, or alter your search results. For more information on these types of sites, please visit StopBadware.org [4]
If one of these sites downloads malicious software onto your computer, please read our additional information [5] about reporting these sites and removing the software from your system.
If you're the administrator of a site we've identified with this warning message, please visit the instructions [6] found in our Webmaster Help Center.
Fascinating, wouldn't you agree? Think this is just a coincidence, and plenty of top-rated liberal websites have the same warning?
What do you call people who turn in Chinese dissidents posting on “anonymous” message boards critical of the Chinese Govt., resulting in their torture and 8 years imprisonment? I would say Stalinist fits pretty well.
Well, duh, that’s the original link, I found a link where the poster ran his spyware and found nothing.
Google ist shark de la jumptin.
It's the type of crap ads and pop-ups that triggers the warning. Cookies and harmless pop-ups don't do it. But some pop-ups and ads download pieces of code that execute on your computer when you click on them. Surely you know that.
I'm not going to open up my own browser settings to get the links to prove it to you. I'm just saying, "Probably the warning is accurate."
Believe whatever you want to, it's a free country.
My websites cause Global Warming.
That is why I have used Scroogle for my searches for several years now.
http://www.scroogle.org/cgi-bin/scraper.htm
My popup blocker reported 3 blocked pop ups ads when I entered the American Spectator site ... that is a valid reason for Google to report them as “unsafe”.
I’ve had no problems whatsoever with Google toolbars. Or, for that matter, anything Google, except for some annoying formatting problems with their applications (Google Docs, etc.). Me thinks that the problems are exaggerated.
I would be interested in what you find.
Also, keep checking the ‘Advanced Search’ options when using the search feature. Safesearch keeps defaulting on and Google filters out content from the returns with it. Google doesn’t allow the user to edit out search words, they seem to have their own picking and choosing of words.
During the last presidential election, Google had no problem running adds which compared George W. Bush to Hitler - among other things, but they refused to run conservative adds that were critical of Kerry (claiming that they hate-speech.) You don't see an agenda there?
Since then, I never use Google.
How can I find out if my site has been identified as a web site that hosts or distributes malicious software and what can I do if it has?
You can find out if your site has been identified as a site that may host or distribute malicious software (one type of "badware") by checking the Overview page for the site in Google webmaster tools (Note: you need to verify site ownership to see this information).
This identification is based in part on guidelines set by StopBadware.org. However, Google uses its own criteria, procedures, and tools to identify sites that host or distribute badware. If you feel your site has been mistakenly identified, or if you make changes to your site so that it no longer hosts or distributes malicious software and you secure your site so that it is no longer vulnerable to the insertion of badware, you can request that your site be reviewed.
Once you have reviewed your site and are sure it is clean, you can can submit a request for review:
We'll review your site and, if we determine that it doesn't host or distribute badware, we'll remove the identification from the search results.
==============================================
The Spectator can do this. Not a big deal.
Same here.
>>>Sure, just like when you type in miserable failure and the first link is George W. Bushs White House biography page. Sure, theres no agenda.
A google bomb can be applied to any target if enough people are so childish as to play.
can you believe someone has actually pulled off that what they are doing?
I'd give anything for the days of ma bell and the us mail.
This is fraud. Go sue them American Spectator.
I remember reading about that at the time, and later. The "agenda" you refer to was de-bunked as selective sampling on the part of (pick either one) left-wing and right-wing commentators. You could "prove" whatever you want. The web is a huge place, and how you sample determines your results, as much or more than the facts of the matter.
> Since then, I never use Google.
Nobody (least of all I) is twisting your arm to use Google. There's a ton of search engines out there, including some with explicitly stated political leanings, both right and left. FR has covered them in past threads. Take your pick.
The google toolbar is a virus magnet. No one should ever load it as it will allow viruses. I am not kidding. It is a security hole as big as Hillary’s butt. It is a major complaint with computer users; the toolbar and the butt.
Just tried it...
The American SpectatorThis site may harm your computer.
Features opinions, reviews, and an interactive section, as well as archives of the monthly.
www.spectator.org/ - Similar pages
AmSpec BlogThis site may harm your computer.
The American Spectator ..... If the broken-English reports at the impeccably well-named Pakistani Spectator are accurate, all hell is breaking loose. ...
www.spectator.org/blogger.asp - Similar pages
[ More results from www.spectator.org ]
(Copy/Paste...)
OK, so these are in the “paid advt” part of the page (always loads first...)
Sneaky! Well, we know of what we read, we don’t depend on Google to tell us what to think, we just use it to go where we want to go. It’s called LIBERTY!
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