Google Filters Torrents From Search Results
Written by Ernesto on August 08, 2007Google has been filtering its search results for years. That’s proven very useful for the Chinese government, and of course content owner representatives like the MPAA and RIAA. According to Google, the filtering of torrents from the search results is a response to the DMCA complaints they receive.
So, apparently one day Google decided that it is illegal in nearly every country of the world to host a .torrent file that (allegedly) links to infringing material. Strange, because there is no legal precedent for this decision in most countries.
The owner of SumoTorrent told TorrentFreak that he discovered that A search on Google for sumotorrent now triggers the following message at the bottom of the results page:
“In response to a complaint we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint that caused the removal(s) at ChillingEffects.org.”
A search for other BitTorrent sites like Torrentspy and Torrentreactor comes up with the same message (note. the sites are still indexed but some results are removed). Strangely enough, for torrentreactor it only shows up for a search on the .com domain.
According to Google the filtered search results are caused by DMCA complaints , but the owner of SumoTorrent is a little surprised by this. He has no clue why the “content owner” didn’t contact him directly because he generally processes takedown notices within 24 hours. Unfortunately the link Google provides to the complaint in question doesn’t work, and a search on ChillingEffects.org doesn’t really help much either.
One of the few BitTorrent related DMCA complaints Google received concerned Paris Hilton’s famous . This notice was sent by Jim Salomon, the brother of Rick Salomon who used to date Paris. The complaint is hilarious, Jim even complains why it takes Google more than 4 hours to remove the .torrent in question. Funny or not, eventually Google decided to remove the .torrent file in question from their search results.
What Google has done isn’t really that revolutionary because most administrators of BitTorrent sites take down torrent files themselves upon request. However, the main reason for this is that they don’t want endless legal battles. They see it as a service to the content owners to remove the .torrent files if a decent request is made. But I kind of hoped that Google would make a stand here, wishful thinking so it seems.So what do you think? Should Google filter their results like this?
Previously: Television Studios Embrace BitTorrent
Next: uTorrent Takes on the BitTorrent Scammers
73 Responses (Add yours or TrackBack)
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Im in Southern Cal I did the search http://www.google.com/search?q=sumotorrent
i got Results 1 - 10 of about 1,680,000 for sumotorrent. (0.03 seconds)with a Sofia, Bulgaria proxy and Results 1 - 10 of about 1,690,000 for sumotorrent. (0.06 seconds) with no proxy…
so whats the best alternative search engine???
^^^
BTW this message was at the bottom of each search ” In response to a complaint we received under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 1 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint that caused the removal(s) at ChillingEffects.org. “
Google should’ve taken a stand… I mean, google’s purpose is to search. They have no control over what content a website has. They just give search results…
holy sh*t does the states/canada/china blow.
Hey clever admin, ya can’t read the text indicating what these boxes are for. I just got rejected for being silly enough to put my usual internet name into the first little box under ‘Add your response’, my subject line into next box and my body text into this one.
I listed 6 or 7 perfectly good search engines, I rattled on about the various forms of censorship both govt and jerks apply through lawyers and less legal leverage. I may as well repeat: Google “national DNS spoofing”, and suggest that this, along ISPs being coerced by govt to apply other filters is strong censorship - not just in China.
want to search the internet, try http://www.dogpile.com, if you don’t like it - you can try the ones it is using individually.
To go to google.com, try: http://www.google.com/webhp?tab=lw
I can go to http://www.google.ca, I am in AU and if I go to http://www.google.com then I get redirected to http://www.google.com.au. To get you guys the link to ‘Google International/US’ the second thing I tried was to go to maps.google.com and click on the ‘web’ link in top left hand corner of page.
My boss wanted me to scan a printed picture of the google logo, I did so before he got back, three settings to try to make decent image of it were crap. I googled: ‘google logo hires’(***not images, web links) and some pretty darn snazzy (inc. orig) pics came from google, and excellent ‘art’ on fourth or so link stating grieviance (mildish) with google on issue of not doing a themed logo for memorial day.
Here you are, have the link, fourth from the top on ‘google logo hires’ : http://zombietime.com/google_memorial_day_logo/ , so, sorry, I don’t think google are censoring the links *on purpose* themselves. (scroll down if you go to page at zombietime (don’t worry about name) and see very snazzy artwork by public contrib.)
Your grief is clearly with the the dirty rat-m*****ls who can’t allow their competitor (or perhaps shame) to be revealed by simplistic means. These people have used something (usually lawyers) to make google ‘censor’ the result links.
Google’s doing a bang-up job of getting relevant results for relevant search term phrases. They often have a point of contact for the ‘ratbag’ in the bit where they mention that some process or another has censored the result. (Can’t you tell what their message means? :) They clearly indicate that someone has caused something to be missing - more the act of the bi-partisan, rather than an active censor.
Aim the blame where it belongs, what is your government doing people?
robsoles.
Ps. I can’t find a download site that isn’t torrent without specifying extensions/types for http:// and ftp:// in Google…
HEY ADMIN: Fix website display, I just uninstalled firefox coz an extension I added ‘bit’ it, right now using IE60 with big arse firewall and sheer refusal to allow microsoft servers anywhere near any of my PCs. I run IIS5.1 on machine behind other registered copy of big arse firewall, behind b-a firewall in router!
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Same here, I did a search for Sumotorrent on Google and got “Results 1 - 50 of about 1,470,000 English pages for Sumotorrent. (0.15 seconds).”
I am located in California, USA. I know Google allegedly filters results for some places, but not here, not right now, anyway…
Eh, it periodically occurs for me.It sometimes does and sometimes doesn’t. And about Google helping China censor websites…It’s not as bad as AOL, Yahoo and MSN with their censorship. If I remember correctly Google has been banned a couple of times by the Chinese government for not complying to their rules.
No need of google,
Look at this ScreenShot
http://hotimg3.fotki.com/a/121_247/66_70/Transform.gif
i can find .torrent files without need of a website; all we need is to create a decentralized software with new torrent files specific features.
Just checkout that sancho software
Wishful thinking indeed…
This is kinda lame move my anti-piracy groups, don’t they know that Google Indexes are sometimes old. New links pop up all the time. Maybe not from the popular site but at least from some other site.
google.ca doesn’t filter out torrent searches.
Either the American people are going to revolutionize the way corporations are allowed to operate in OUR COUNTRY or corporations are going to revolutionize the people. Either way a revolution is coming because our great Republic has been under attack for some time. What will happen when you can no longer afford your rights?
your article says that torrent websites respond to a request to remove content, is that not what google are doing!
Well this article made me almost shit myself at 6am, seeing as I run http://www.torrentfilter.org
I just glanced over the title and thought they’d gone and made a big deal over my little site
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Oh, and did not know about it. Thanks for the information …
boo
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