Not a member? Sign up now
See an exhaustive list of terms Google won't instantly search for
By James Brady RyanSeptember 28th, 2010, 10:00 amComments (9)
As soon as Google Instant premiered, people noticed that there were some words which turned off the instant search tool and required you to press Enter to see any results. Some of these words weren't so surprising: "porn," "handjob," "s&m." Sure, you might think, "Hey, why does Google get to decide what words are appropriate or not?" but at least you understand the motivation.
But now that some hard-working soul has put together a very extensive list of the words that Google Instant has put on notice, we can find all the words that seem too benign or too downright weird to show up there. Here are a few that stood out to me:
- bisexual
- lesbian
- new pornographers
- get my sister
- hairy
- latina
- i hate
- are (only when preceded by certain nationalities)
I can certainly figure out ways that these terms could be a part of something sexual or violent, but this just highlights the issue some people have with Googles actions: they decide for you that "hairy" is dirty, though "smooth" gets a pass. They decide for you that "lesbian" is a no-no, but you can search for "gay" until you fall asleep at your desk. (Sorry, young girls questioning your sexuality. Go to a library, or something. Or, I guess, press Enter.)
There are also a collection of terms on the list that I've never heard before and frankly don't want explained to me. Why must you put these things in my head, Google? Why?!
You can check out the full list of Google's naughty words here. Decide for yourself whether having these things up on your screen is NSFW.
Commentarium (9 Comments)
Does Google instantly search "moist"?
I HATE MY HAIRY LATINA SISTER HEHE
Yes, it instantly searches "moist," but if you type in "moist lesbian," it shuts down at the "s".
"Hey, why does Google get to decide what words are appropriate or not?" Maybe because it's their search engine?
It sounds like I have been missing something. Usually I finish my sentence and smack the enter key. shame on me! Would you like to be interrupted when trying to speak to someone? That is what I see as similar to the instant search pop up.
"Sorry, young girls questioning your sexuality." I had to read that twice before i understood what you were getting at. That's why we would fail if we ever included a fragment in a paper. :)
That wasn't a sentence fragment, and I immediately understood that line. You assume something is wrong just because you don't understand it?
Great PR management
it wont let me search for 'banner pole' which is a thing armies carry at the front into a march or whatever. how annoying.