# Google asking if I'm human? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532 "2013-06-21T02:44:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/1 "2013-06-21T02:44:44Z")
I just did a few searches on google, using Safari, and I got this page: > [@](#): > > To continue, please type the characters below [IP address edited]: > > [CAPTCHA image and box] > > About this page > > Our systems have detected unusual traffic from your computer network. This page checks to see if it’s really you sending the requests, and not a robot. Why did this happen? > > IP address: xx.xx.xxx.xx > Time: 2013-06-21T02:40:10Z > URL: [Google Search](http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=f-104&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) Do I have malware? Is it something to do with the Apple upgrade, which I believe included a Safari security update? A new ‘feature’ from google? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/2 "2013-06-21T03:03:10Z")
First things first: are you human? Google may be complaining because you are passing your search query as an XML stream. Try instead the space-delimited list of English words format. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/3 "2013-06-21T03:05:34Z")
I was entering a words. (The one in the OP was a search on F-104, which is one I like to look up occasionally.) I found on google’s site that this is probably legitimate; but I’ve never seen it before. Maybe they want people to start using Bing? (I’d ask them if they’d rather people used other search engines, but there’s no way to contact anyone at google.) . ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/4 "2013-06-21T03:14:33Z")
It can be malware - they don’t do it for nothing. Their computer thinks your computer is sending automatic queries. It does make mistakes, but I’ve only had it do it for a certain type of query for me (which is VERY unusual). It has caught onto programs/toolbars/utilities making automated queries. If it doesn’t happen again I wouldn’t worry about it. If it does - and you aren’t doing some advanced weird queries - I’d look into scanning your computer. Google doesn’t make money pissing off its users for no reason. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/5 "2013-06-21T07:59:52Z")
I’ve never used Safari, but something similar happened to me a year or two ago with a different browser. The problem was a browser add-on that somehow got installed. Norton did nothing to prevent its installation, to recognize it as a problem, or to remove it. I went into the browser settings and disabled all the add-ons (extensions, toolbars) that I didn’t recognize, and that fixed the problem. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/6 "2013-06-21T08:02:50Z")
You should have said you’d pick the tortoise up. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/7 "2013-06-21T12:16:01Z")
I just hope **Johnny L.A.** is programmed with Asimov’s Three Laws. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/8 "2013-06-21T13:48:07Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > **Google asking if I’m human?** Well, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/9 "2013-06-21T13:49:06Z")
Sorry, that’s to trap people like me. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/10 "2013-06-21T14:42:15Z")
I tried a search this morning, and it was fine. Frustrating last night, though. > [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Well, are you? That would be telling. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/11 "2013-06-21T14:44:06Z")
Note the earlier exchange: > [@Mijin](#): > > First things first: are you human? > [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > I was entering a words. **Result of Turing Test:** FAIL ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/12 "2013-06-21T16:11:09Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > You should have said you’d pick the tortoise up. A tortoise? What’s that? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/13 "2013-06-21T16:18:48Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > A tortoise? What’s that? You know what a turtle is? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/14 "2013-06-21T17:57:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You know what a turtle is? They go all the way down, right? ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/15 "2013-06-21T18:12:34Z")
I’ve found that certain search modifiers tend to queries flagged for captcha review, though that was a few years ago, so it may have changed since. In particular putting the allintext modifier at the start of your query or having several words after intext almost always triggered the no automatic queries allowed (what they did before implementing the captcha system) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/16 "2013-06-21T18:17:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You know what a turtle is? Do you make up these questions, Mr. Holden, or do they write 'em down for you? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/17 "2013-06-22T03:04:59Z")
Could a CAPTCHA distinguish a human from a dog? ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/18 "2013-06-22T03:13:00Z")
Are you using a proxy, VPN, free Wifi, shared school or office internet? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/19 "2013-06-22T03:13:42Z")
Time… to die… ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532/20 "2013-06-22T13:53:10Z")
Too many similar searches in a short period tends to trip it, with too many defined as not that many. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-asking-if-im-human/661532.md?page=2)