# Internet Explorer doesn't do some Google searches. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625 "2018-05-22T17:21:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **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:** [May 22, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/1 "2018-05-22T17:21:36Z")
I come across this issue from time to time. I’ll paste something into the URL box to do a Google search. Usually I add double-quotes, sometimes I removed tabs. Sometimes Internet Explorer refuses to do the Google search from the URL box. It gives me a page that is blank except for a ‘#’ in the upper-left corner, and a popup that says ‘Internet Explorer has modified this page to help prevent cross-site scripting’. I then have to go to google-dot-com and search from there. What is this ‘cross-site scripting’, and why won’t IE let me search for the string I want? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/2 "2018-05-22T17:25:08Z")
Internet Explorer 11 came out in 2008, I believe, and has gotten very dated over time. I get certificate security warnings a lot and have connection problems with certain sites. I’ve basically stopped using it. I use Firefox and Chrome with Windows 7 at work and Edge, Chrome or Firefox on my Windows 10 laptop at home. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/3 "2018-05-22T17:26:58Z")
> **[What is Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)? How to Prevent and Fix It](https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/cross-site-scripting)** > > Cross-site scripting, or XSS, can cause serious security issues. Learn how these attacks work, how to spot them and how to defend against them. > [@](#): > > Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a type of injection security attack in which an attacker injects data, such as a malicious script, into content from otherwise trusted websites. Cross-site scripting attacks happen when an untrusted source is allowed to inject its own code into a web application, and that malicious code is included with dynamic content delivered to a victim’s browser. It’s a security vulnerability that can be triggered and/or detected in number of different ways. In this case something in the search results is making IE’s security flag the results as potentially risky. Since the browsers each use their own algorithms and data sets to identify possible XSS threats you will get different results. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/4 "2018-05-22T17:55:12Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > In this case something in the search results is making IE’s security flag the results as potentially risky. FWIW, this is similar to what I tried to search. (I made this up, but the actual search was a real name and phone number.) “Johnny L.A.'s Construction” “(310) 567-8910” I got the same result with the above, as I did with the real strings. I have a feeling IE thinks phone numbers are malicious code. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/5 "2018-05-22T18:38:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I got the same result with the above, as I did with the real strings. I have a feeling IE thinks phone numbers are malicious code. The quote above works fine on my IE and Chrome, so I don’t think that’s it. I suspect there’s something in one of the results that triggers it, not the search string. That’s not really how XSS works, so it’s unlikely to be the cause. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-explorer-doesnt-do-some-google-searches/814625/6 "2018-05-22T19:00:08Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Internet Explorer 11 came out in 2008, I believe, and has gotten very dated over time. I get certificate security warnings a lot and have connection problems with certain sites. I’ve basically stopped using it. I use Firefox and Chrome with Windows 7 at work and Edge, Chrome or Firefox on my Windows 10 laptop at home. Either you mistyped, or else your memory is playing tricks on you. Here’s a list of release dates for the more recent versions of IE. > **[Download Old Versions of Internet Explorer for Windows - OldVersion.com](http://www.oldversion.com/windows/internet-explorer/)**