# Calling all super-smart computer folks...help my Google be American again!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 13, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147 "2013-02-13T03:18:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/1 "2013-02-13T03:18:23Z")
I was in Afghanistan for 6 months, and got back in November of last year. While there, I paid for and used internet service on my personal computer with a local vendor, as many people there do. I also created a gmail account while there. It seems now, that after the first time I log into that account, from any computer, said computer thinks I’m still in Afghanistan, and Google comes up in both English and Arabic, with all the search results coming up that way, too. It happens even after I log out of that account.
Why is this happening, and how do I make it stop?
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### Author:  [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/2 "2013-02-13T03:35:46Z")
I don’t know much about computers but have you tried deleting your cookies?
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/3 "2013-02-13T03:43:27Z")
It sounds like it set up a proxy. To check, on the menu bar, click Tools, then click on ‘Options’ which should be near the bottom. This will bring up a new window.
On the far right, click the ‘advanced’ tab. Under that are 4 other tabs. Click ‘network.’ The option for ‘no proxy’ should be checked. If not, that might be the issue.
edit: not to be paranoid, but unless that was encrypted, I would be on the alert of any signs of identity theft.
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/4 "2013-02-13T04:05:15Z")
I just re-read your OP. I DID see this the first time but “from any computer” part didn’t register. Even so, I should have understood that the proxy stuff wasn’t an issue since it’s specific to google. Sorry.
Have you looked at your account settings? From any google site, if you’re logged in, in the upper right there should be an icon with your current id. If you click on that and then click on account it brings up various options including choice of primary and secondary language. Hope that helps.
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### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/5 "2013-02-13T04:24:20Z")
I cleared cookies, and that worked. I also checked, and my primary language is listed on that account as English (American). So, aside from using a private browsing session every time I check that account, is there a way to tell Google, hey, I really _don’t_ speak Arabic?
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/6 "2013-02-13T04:30:08Z")
If it’s also happening on other computers, then as you’ve said, it has to be tied to that Google account. Was there a secondary language selected? You would need to delete that.
Aside from that, I don’t see anything else in the account settings that would cause you to get sites coming up in both languages.
edit: try the google dashboard - click products on the left then on the right dashboard
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### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/7 "2013-02-13T04:38:58Z")
There’s nothing on the dashboard to indicate “Hey, we think you live in Afghanistan!”. My country and time zone are both listed as United States.
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/8 "2013-02-13T04:51:20Z")
The only other thing I can think of is that the account you log into doesn’t end in .com but in .af or something like that.
Then you’re going to get a session cookie for google saying that you’re in Afghanistan and you’ll have to remove that manually. But you can remove just that cookie.
Go to tools–\>options–\>privacy
Click on ‘show cookies’ In the search box type google or google.af and it should come right up.
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/9 "2013-02-13T04:58:47Z")
Sorry for the double post, but that’s still really odd. I use VPN’s that connect from other countries where English isn’t the primary language and I run into this problem all of the time. For example when I just checked my google cookies, I have several from [google.fr](http://google.fr).
But as soon as I change to a US VPN, google reads my IP address as being US based and responds accordingly when I do a search. So it odd that this problem persists beyond just the email account. Of course I can’t say that I’ve ever actually _created_ any of my google email accounts while logged in to a foreign VPN.
Hmmm . . . must make note to try this. 😉
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### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/10 "2013-02-13T05:18:06Z")
I think the fact that I created it there definitely has something to do with it…this doesn’t happen with any gmail account created in the States.
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### Author:  [@andrewbub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewbub)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/11 "2013-02-13T07:19:03Z")
my youtube was set to japan for about a week for some reason. it was kinda fun though.
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/12 "2013-02-13T08:52:14Z")
Which browser are you using?
What happens if you go to:
> **[Google](https://www.google.com/)**
>
> Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.
(no country redirect)
?
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### Author:  [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/13 "2013-02-13T09:00:23Z")
> [@Reply](#):
>
> (no country redirect)
You just blew my mind. :eek:
edit: told myself I would remember that, then told myself I should really know better and bookmarked it.
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### Author:  [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/14 "2013-02-13T09:01:46Z")
> [@Reply](#):
>
> Which browser are you using?
>
> What happens if you go to:
> [Google](http://www.google.com/ncr)
>
> (no country redirect)
> ?
So that’s what it stands for! Very minor ignorance successfully fought!
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/15 "2013-02-13T09:11:53Z")
Heh, at least I THINK that’s what it means. I first saw it five minutes ago when researching this issue and it bugged me that I didn’t know what those three letters meant, so I kept looking until I found a source that defined it. Not sure how accurate it is.
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### Author:  [@d1a1s1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d1a1s1)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/16 "2013-02-13T09:55:06Z")
I’m in Guam and mine gets set to Japanese from time to time. On the main google splash page, under the search bar, it has a “[google.com](http://google.com)” link. Clicking on that sets it back to 'merican.
That’s all I know.
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### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/17 "2013-02-13T10:42:23Z")
> [@Reply](#):
>
> Which browser are you using?
>
> What happens if you go to:
> [Google](http://www.google.com/ncr)
>
> (no country redirect)
> ?
That makes it come up…well, normal is not the right word, but you know what I mean…very cool!
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2013, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/18 "2013-02-13T11:00:06Z")
> [@Lucretia](#):
>
> That makes it come up…well, normal is not the right word, but you know what I mean…very cool!
But do you have to keep using that special URL or is it a set-once, works-forever situation?
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### Author:  [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)
#### Post date: [February 14, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calling-all-super-smart-computer-folks-help-my-google-be-american-again/650147/19 "2013-02-14T04:00:35Z")
I have to keep using it.