Comments on: Google’s Mechanical Prude

By: The Real Stig

The Real Stig — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:38:22 +0000

I dislike how Google record search terms and the IP addresses that request them. Since they keep such data, no doubt they can be obliged to hand over the data under court order.

As if that were not enough, Google collects data on visits to a great many websites through a site traffic/marketing tool they run called Google Analytics. Ever noticed a brief flash in your browsers activity bar when visiting sites - connecting google-analytics.com?. That’s ET phoning home, so to speak.

While Google claim they do not ‘track’ Ip addresses with analytics, their definitions of ‘record’ and ‘track’ may not be the same.

While I personally do nothing criminal or illegal, I dislike Google’s behaviour in this regard on principle so have blocked Google from setting cookies on my machine and have switched to using ask.com as they allow you to specify that they not log search terms by setting the Ask eraser to ‘on’.

You can also get a Firefox add-on that blocks ET phoning home when you visit sites.

By: Nestle

Nestle — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:34:35 +0000

Huh. I never even knew Google did that. No wonder I haven’t been finding any good porn lately…

By: Dr. Whiplash

Dr. Whiplash — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:27:41 +0000

Never having taken any sort of computer-related classes, nor even had an owner’s manual for one in my fingertips, it took me quite a few YEARS to figure out why certain logical sex-related searches weren’t showing up productively in my Google results. I finally figured out that there was a “safe search” and how to turn it OFF (only to have it mysteriously switch back again on occasion…). Sometimes Google can be fooled. If you type in “Janet Jackson ni”–, You will get “nip slip”, but no, you still won’t get “nipple” even though the event seemed like for a while it was going to bring about the apocalypse. Check it out quick before “the guy writing the filter” figures out you’re not searching for some sort of a biting incident, and changes things.

B.T.W., I would never search for “Jenna Jameson pregnancy” (nor would anyone I would ever admit to knowing), but I have in the past typed to “Jenna Jameson nu” and of course, had to type a bit further. It is indeed regrettable that Google can’t just automatically link my unfiltered search preferences to my “Google suggest” system.

For you schoolkids searching for important art, “Venus nu” brings you “Venus nutrition” (presumably for the secret Venusian alien beings living among us in exile?), and “Venus Nud” brings NO suggestions at all. So kids, you won’t get much help with the Venus de Milo or the Venus of Willendorf, but if you stop at just “Venus”, you’ll not only find the famous art, but you can get tips on shaving your vaginal area with something called a “Venus Embrace”, and you CAN get quite an education on “Venus in Furs” apparently, and it’s not tips about how to warm up cold stone carvings…

By: stephen

stephen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:22:10 +0000

Cunniliungus, with 35 results, shows up, but not cunnilingus, with 8,660,000.

Also: do I detect some sexism here? Fellatio comes up after six letters. Oral sex is OK on a man, but not on a woman? Come on, Google.

By: aag

aag — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:31:10 +0000

To turn this feature off in Firefox:

Tools>Options>Advanced>General

Uncheck “Search for text when I start typing.”

By: Molly Ren

Molly Ren — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:40:04 +0000

and I get “furries” on the first try! It also suggests “furries in space”.

You guys have it all wrong: it isn’t a Mechanical Prude, it’s sicker than the rest of us combined! :P

By: Molly Ren

Molly Ren — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:32:55 +0000

ah, but it does know what “feederism” is….