Google Error Sends Warning Worldwide [“Very simply, human error.” ........]

New York Times ^

[Sub-Driver]

Google Error Sends Warning Worldwide By LIZ ROBBINS

Google’s Internet search service malfunctioned for nearly 55 minutes Saturday morning, upending users around the world with search results that carried false safety warnings and Web links that did not work.

The company acknowledged Saturday that all searches produced links with the same warning message: “This site may harm your computer.” Clicking on any of the links led to an error message stating that the desired site could not be reached.

“What happened?” Google explained in its blog. “Very simply, human error.”

Google said it periodically updates its list of sites suspected of carrying dangerous software that could harm computers, and that Saturday morning a Google employee mistyped a Web address for one such site, causing all sites to be flagged harmful.

There was some momentary tension when Google seemed to imply that the glitch was caused by StopBadware.org, the company that helps Google determine which sites are unsafe. Google later posted a statement that took the blame for the error.

“We have a good ongoing relationship with StopBadware.org,” a Google spokesman, Gabriel Stricker, said in a telephone interview. “In our post, we tried to clarify our role in this error.”

[Between the Lines]

I ran into this problem earlier today. I was doing some research on the Mormon church and almost every Mormon website was flagged.

I thought that maybe the anti- Prop. 8 crowd had attacked their websites.

[Mojave]

According to Matt Cutts, “We periodically receive updates to that list and received one such update to release on the site this morning. Unfortunately (and here’s the human error), the URL of ‘/’ was mistakenly checked in as a value to the file and ‘/’ expands to all URLs.”

[SpaceBar]

In other news Yahoo! reports a peculiar 55 minute dramatic boost in hits.

[Matchett-PI]

bttt

[WellyP]

I will NEVER use Google’s free storage!

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

The warning applied to all sites, even Google.com.
Didn’t last long, however.

[Eye of Unk]

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is a message we cannot ignore, and this is from just ONE person, imagine over one million internet soldiers given a weapons free status to attack anyone or anything that has been classified as targets, especially conservative websites.

I am putting less and less input into the web and am seriously thinking of abandoning it and using the revolutionary war tried and true local message tree, sometimes simpler is better.

[Deo volente]

So let’s see now...one worker at Google mistakenly types in a ‘/’ in a URL, and shuts it down for almost an hour?

That’s not good!

[The Electrician]

It brings back fond memories of the time when I typed in rm * and hit the ENTER key...

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Error? I don't think so.

Their Chi-Com "business partners" ordered them to test Chi-Com google in the U.S. is more likely. "Do it or get out of China."

If I'm right we can expect YaHu! to be next to test their Chi-Com system here.

It was a Chi-Com demo for the Obama White House.

:>)

or..

President Obama's pick to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and author of "Repulblic.com," Cass Sunstein, according to wiki believes in the government's role of "maintaining freedom of choice while also steering people's decisions in directions that will make their lives go better. Fancy name, "choice architect."

The government will build the choices you have? But, hey! you get to choose among them. Otherwise, we Freepers are a danger to "our" democracy. Seriously.

So perhaps the new head of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is considering buying Chi-Com google.

[yield 2 the right]

Some IT geek is out of a job...

[MrBambaLaMamba]

Google testing the non-socialist content filter.

[democratsarefascists]

Given Google’s incestuous relationship with Obama in covering up his crimes by hiding pages unfavorable to him, and by giving him his very own interface for treating the Web as his own personal “Memory Hole,” it’s hard to buy this explanation. It seems more like a dress rehearsal, or a show of loyalty to their Fuehrer.

Don’t believe Google’s doing this for him?
Google it. :-)
They are.

[Cindy]

BLOG:

http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/2009/01/poisoned-search-queries-at-google-video.html

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2009
“Poisoned Search Queries at Google Video Serving Malware”

Posted by Dancho Danchev at Wednesday, January 28, 2009

[Larry Lucido]

That’s what someone had speculated. Someone mistyped something and all hell breaks loose.