AfterDawn: News

Google temporarily removes The Pirate Bay from search engine

Google has admitted today that an internal error caused the search engine giant to block all results from the The Pirate Bay, although at first they claimed it was due to a DMCA complaint.

Said Google in the morning: "Google received a (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) take-down request that erroneously listed Thepiratebay.org, and as a result, this URL was accidentally removed from the Google search index. We are now correcting the removal, and you can expect to see Thepiratebay.org back in Google search results this afternoon."



However, about two hours ago, Google updated their statement adding that "The removal appears to be an internal error and not part of a DMCA request."

Users searching Google for the Pirate Bay were greeted with linkbacks but no direct links to the homepage of the infamous torrent tracker.

Peter Sunde, former spokesperson for the site, Tweeted today “why is 'thepiratebay.org' (the frontpage) removed from your [Google’s] index?” and also accused the search engine of "of censoring a competitor and of stifling free expression." However, all appears to be fine now as a quick search shows off the site as fully available.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 3 Oct 2009 16:57

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• 7 comments

• DXR88

  Quote:However, about two hours ago, Google updated their statement adding that "The removal appears to be an internal error and not part of a DMCA request." yeah...right and im Dolly Parton

  3.10.2009 17:27 #1

• ZippyDSM

  Google is fcking scary these days....

  3.10.2009 17:53 #2

• domie

  Yup , you're right Zippy it is REAL scary , what's even scarier is they are not even hiding how they have crashed their salesman's boot right through everyone's front window instead of sliding it in the door which was the trick salemen used 20 years ago.
  Google Earth and everyone's front and back garden on a global internet map is the scariest thing I have ever seen - a blueprint for every potential burgular and psycho stalker or rapist to check out the layout of your property the world over.
  In this case however , it only takes one self-righteous google drone to press the button to do this - there must be quite a few of their "individuals" capable of reaching for the red button given the size of their operation.

  4.10.2009 06:19 #3

• xnmalletx

  Long live GOOGLE!! Yea! They are the best at what they do. Google has more power than known terrorist organizations have. Wow

  4.10.2009 15:59 #4

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by domie: Yup , you're right Zippy it is REAL scary , what's even scarier is they are not even hiding how they have crashed their salesman's boot right through everyone's front window instead of sliding it in the door which was the trick salemen used 20 years ago.
  Google Earth and everyone's front and back garden on a global internet map is the scariest thing I have ever seen - a blueprint for every potential burgular and psycho stalker or rapist to check out the layout of your property the world over.
  In this case however , it only takes one self-righteous google drone to press the button to do this - there must be quite a few of their "individuals" capable of reaching for the red button given the size of their operation.google earth/map aint no thing simply because anyone can travel and see most of it anyway. Its like saying guns,abortions,free thought, bats and cars have to removed from the public because they have potential to hurt people. Its silly.
  
  Now the way they are kissing up to china and other poorly run nations is bad as is how they are skirting other things to make money.

  4.10.2009 21:17 #5

• nb69

  Welcome to Google action in Communist China and other regulated places.
  
  Why bend over the mere request of TPB url?
  
  
  Even a tiny minute of censorship is the beginning of a bad trend.

  5.10.2009 05:42 #6

• cdxanti

  like the DCMA has any business dealing with a search engine. They have no ground on which to demand something from anyone. Google was stupid to honor the request and can expect to be criticized by every PB or other torrent sites supporters.

  5.10.2009 10:42 #7