# Google warning: This site may harm your computer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865 "2009-01-31T14:55:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/1 "2009-01-31T14:55:55Z")
What is up with this? This disclaimer is coming up under every search I do. At first, I was paranoid because I was putting in searches for info that were critical to Obama, but now I’m seeing it under the Wikipedia entry for Bushisms and when I search for a local restaurant. Search for Drudge Report and New York Times and you get the same thing. Huh. And of course clicking on the “more info” button just leads to a “Server error. Try again in 30 seconds.” Was Google hacked or something? Or is this something new, and now all webmasters have to jump through an extra hoop to prove their website is safe? Straight Dope may also be harmful to your computer. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/2 "2009-01-31T15:00:57Z")
Same for me. Every search is coming back harmful and I can’t proceed. This would seem to be a pretty major malfunction. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/3 "2009-01-31T15:03:24Z")
It’s freaking me out…now I’m afraid to click through after such a dire warning. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/4 "2009-01-31T15:04:24Z")
Same here. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/5 "2009-01-31T15:07:09Z")
Weird. I’ve got it too, rerunning the search I did about 45 minutes ago, with no problems. But AVG – my antivirus suite, which checks all websites – is simultaneously indicating that they’re all safe. So obviously it’s some Google malfunction. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/6 "2009-01-31T15:08:09Z")
Seems to happen to everyone, everywhere. [http://search.twitter.com/search?q=google](http://search.twitter.com/search?q=google) (by the way, this is the first time I’ve found a use for twitter) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/7 "2009-01-31T15:08:13Z")
The Susan G Komen site for breast cancer awareness may also be harmful to your computer. :rolleyes: Hee hee hee…search for Google in Google and Google may also be harmful to your computer. My head is starting to spin. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/8 "2009-01-31T15:09:09Z")
Same for Google images. Apparently, pictures of Cessna 172s may harm my computer. Looks to me like someone over at Google pushed the wrong button this morning… ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/9 "2009-01-31T15:11:35Z")
Google Maps seems okay. ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/10 "2009-01-31T15:12:19Z")
Weird. I ran a search about an hour ago on Google and didn’t see anything like it, but it’s showed up on everything on the first page when I searched my current employer, my last employer, and the Straight Dope. Of course, they may have a point about the last one. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/11 "2009-01-31T15:14:10Z")
NOW I’m paranoid. It’s gone from “Bushisms” and the New York Times but not on Drudge or searches critical to Obama. I guess they’re working through the problem. Michelle Malkin seems safe. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/12 "2009-01-31T15:17:19Z")
DAMNIT! I’m late to the party I sure wish my blog was ready… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/13 "2009-01-31T15:17:36Z")
Thank you - it’s happening to me too and I was wondering about it being my computer gone up the spout. One odd thing was that earlier today if I went to any site (Mapmyrun and The Daily Plate and the BBC news site for example) and they took ages to come up and then were all exploded over the page with weird fonts and spacings. I was thinking again that my computer was acting up but I wonder if it had anything to do with Google now? Though it can’t really, can it? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/14 "2009-01-31T15:21:07Z")
It seems like a glitch…Straight Dope is no longer a DANGER DANGER site. I wonder if we’ll find out what happened? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/15 "2009-01-31T15:21:50Z")
Damn. A simple search for Illegal Animal Porn, and I got it too. What the fuck? ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/16 "2009-01-31T15:23:06Z")
Boy there sure were quick on this one… It’s back to normal. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/17 "2009-01-31T15:34:22Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > Boy there sure were quick on this one.. It’s back to normal. It appears Google mishaps occur as often as mine. ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/18 "2009-01-31T15:44:17Z")
I got the message on my [Mac,](http://home.comcast.net/~ladidah1//google.jpg) too. It seems to be gone now. I happened to be surfing for free anti virus for my new laptop so I thought it was related to that. But then it was on my Mac, too! ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/19 "2009-01-31T15:57:30Z")
For those of you who missed it… [http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8794/mayharmcopyrt4.png](http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8794/mayharmcopyrt4.png) I’m guessing it only scared 200 million people off of the net… no biggie. –nearly left some info in there… had to crop that out… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865/20 "2009-01-31T16:54:56Z")
If Google finds who this did, they got a bitch’ lawsuit on their hands. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-warning-this-site-may-harm-your-computer/483865.md?page=2)