Google Trends, which shows hot queries on Google at any given time, is sporting a nasty item at no. 2 today: a plane flying into two towers.
In July a swastika appeared on Google Trends, leading to endless debate on whether it was an ugly symbol or not. Later that month the site was attacked again. 4Chan was the culprit last time, we’ll see if they’re again responsible.
Here’s the statement Google released last time this happened:
The Hot Trends list is automatically generated by machines and algorithms that detect hot or breaking queries. In this case, it appears that the html code for this query was posted on a popular internet bulletin board, which led to quite a few people searching to find out more about this symbol. The Hot Trends list reflected that surge due to people searching with this query.
That is a very disturbing find. What can it mean?
Google hacked?
Fermin
http://www.ferminsuero.com
Did you even read this article?
What makes you think a spammer knows how to read?
Yes, and the article answers what? Maybe the comments shed some light but the article doesn’t say much. Idiot!
@FerminSuero “The Hot Trends list is automatically generated by machines and algorithms that detect hot or breaking queries. In this case, it appears that the html code for this query was posted on a popular internet bulletin board, which led to quite a few people searching to find out more about this symbol.”
http://www.wappalyzer.com
FerminSuero you are a fuckin idiot and a spammer.
I vote Thunder Dome.
i did read the article, but i am still going to ask… google got hacked? this is something big! i mean if the ones that buying the jets are getting hacked, who cant be next? seems the hackers are not worried about fighter jets at all
Create or join a crunchie’s chat group at http://groups.im/
i did read the article, but i am still going to ask… google got hacked? this is something big! i mean if the ones that buying the jets are getting hacked, who cant be next? seems the hackers are not worried about fighter jets at all ferminsuero!
Create or join a crunchie’s chat group at http://groups.im/
It’s kinda cool that he uses a WP template without attributing the author… not.
fermin, i have clicked on your link and have paid you an inordinate amount of money. there you go.
No hits in my SERP..
I for one think this simultaneously hilarious, disgusting, creative and innapropriate.
It is more disturbing Israeli killing Palestinians right now while USA and the rest of the world are looking eating popcorn.
This video made me sad:
http://www.yout...h?v=SQyIKyd2gqA
Actually, that video makes me hopeful.
Ugh, if you are not aware that Israel has had a blockade on Gaza you really should do some homework before commenting. You don’t need to agree with the author’s position, but you should at least know that Israel has had Gazans by the nuts.
http://www.lati...30;..8371.story
http://www.coun...ok11172008.html
Nor is Hamas a group of angels, but they’re not the “terrorists” as described in the west.
Let’s just hope that the Israelis succeed in getting rid of Hamas. It’s a good thing we still have some allies that are willing to take part in fighting these terrorists.
I was actually surprised that Israel didn’t react more strongly, and much earlier. I wonder what the US (or France) would have done if rockets were being fired on San Francisco (or Paris)…
And what you think Palestinians will do after seeing their families killed ? Guess what, they will do the same to Israelis.
The war is not an answer.
Stop the occupation, apply UN resolutions, and terrorists will disappear.
Peace.
Brainwashed Idiot.
Oh, and I though that the Palestinians were expelled from their land by Israel? Have I lived in ignorance all this time?
Wow Tom, that’s weak. Go find out why they fired rockets to get a more complete picture.
If us invaded Canada and put all the canadians on the rock i think that the canadians have all the rights in the world to launch missiles on la.
Let’s not forget to define exactly what a Hamas “missle” is. It’s a homemade rocket…a little more than a bottle rocket. These aren’t some 2 ton missles.
These are small explosives that can do minor damage to buildings. Since 2007 Israel claims Hamas has fired over 3200 rockets into their tiny country. These rockets have killed how many Israelis…less than a dozen. Hardly “rockets” IMO.
This is a lopsided fight…just another excuse to try to kill the Arabs.
Tom, err… I’ve a little supprise for you… The US was started by a bunch of terrorists…
Would you rather that the UK was still in charge of our Empire and you under our thumb? Just a thorght.
Yeah, because the Palestinian leadership is so kind-hearted and loving.
Let’s be real. The fault is on the Palestinian terrorist leadership, and they are screwing their own people.
Sad.
Hamas is holding its own people hostage when it puts its operation centers next to hospitals, schools, neighborhoods, and mosques. They want to use the inevitable civilian collateral damage to wage a PR war against Israel, and idiots like Adnan buy it every time.
“Let’s be real” is not a convincing argument. Research the conflict. Don’t eat everything the news stations feed you. It isn’t as simple as terrorists vs the good guys no matter how many times it’s played on the news.
Right now, it’s the innocent who are being killed and for what? If we ever have a war on our soil maybe this country’s citizens can begin to understand what it’s like.
http://www.live...=0f1_1231259741
http://www.time...icle5462298.ece
This makes me sick. They’ll use any excuse to try and exterminate the Gazans.
No Boris, the Palestinian leadership are not kind harted, but neigther are the Isreali leadership to there people.
Both sides want to dominate the other, both sides think they should be incontrol, the only people who suffer are the Lsrealies and Palestinian peoples.
Seems to me like everyone is missing the point: There are NO more good guys.
Which is probably the saddest thing of all…
“……terrorists will disappear.”
Most terrorism is a front for organized crime. Only the men and women actually volunteering for the suicide mission and such actually believe that it is based on politics or theology.
The men running organizations such as Hamas use these brainwashed fools to hide the fact that they are only interested in making money for themselves. There is no end to terrorism as long as you have men who desire power and money to do what the wish with.
Let’s not forget we advocate democracy around the globe and in this region but fail to recognize elected governments like Hamas when they do not fit with our political agenda.
The issue is much more complicated than portrayed in the media.
Seriously. No mention in the media of what led up to this, simply Hamas shooting off homemade rockets for no reason into Israel, right?
They conveniently forget to mention that Israel completely controls the inflow and outflow of all goods into Gaza and have had a blockade prohibiting essentials from getting in/out of the country for years.
This country has never seen war on its own soil; most citizens will never be able to grasp how terrible it is.
Issues of this magnitude are rarely one-sided. Both sides have done stupid things. The world needs to hold all parties equally accountable, look at the facts, and find a resolution.
Keeping foreign media out of Gaza only raises more questions.
Ugh, if you are not aware that Israel has had a blockade on Gaza you really should do some homework before commenting. You don’t need to agree with the author’s position, but you should at least know that Israel has had Gazans by the nuts.
http://www.lati...0,5998371.story
http://www.coun...ok11172008.html
Nor is Hamas a group of angels, but they’re not the “terrorists” as described in the west.
How is it the US’ business to intervene? Oh, that’s right, it is NOT.
it’s not even about intervening, they’re blocking the UN council from calling an end to the attacks. learn yourself some current events, idiot.
We’ve been “intervening” for years with our $.
How many Americans even know we’re giving over $2.5 billion per year to Israel JUST FOR WEAPONS. Israel is a third of the size of Maine!
Hmm, no wonder the Arabs hate us.
http://afp.goog...ICNmsAeIgpy2uEQ
Completely agree! Israel is a country that’s become an apartheid state. We need to stop supporting these war criminals.
The TC “comments” should be renamed “Parade of Morons”. This is the most pointless thread ever published, filled with misinformed fools from both sides.
@Arrington – clean this site up. Technology only, no more fools.
Waiting to hear from Google about this..
Google’s not hacked. Google trends just shows how many people are googling a given term, in this case some unicode characters.
If a few thousand (possibly even less) TC readers were to all suddenly google “arrington declares war on france” it would pop up.
What’s with result 5 “Skanks in NYC” ?
It’s an epidemic.
LOL – great response
Google is being sued by a model for comments made on a blog they host of that name.
When this post popped up in my RSS reader, I saw the image in the headline and my first thought was that it had something to do with the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. The post title comes up as a link, and therefore defaults to blue, making the image of the towers look fairly similar to an Israeli flag without the Star of David in the center.
A lot has happened the past couple of days in some high profile areas. I am beginning to wonder if this trend is a new hack group or just coincidence. Either way looks like it is time for more companies to tighten security.
Notice how freakin lame the attacks have been? If someone is going to say attack Twitter through an admin panel why not write a simple script to basically screw everyone over.
gawssh… pray its not another panic attack by laden…now that bush is gone. wishing peace for all.
marvin
I don’t see it…
Just cross your eyes a little bit and relax.
hah…was looking for swastika in this image…man, I need nap
Michael Arrington, the recurring victim of the Google University for contending retardation.
What has TechCrunch become to that you’re reporting on stupid, irrelevant, propoganda such as this?
What an idiot.
It takes so long for seesmic js to load on my 4GB macpro that any link renders useless for a good 10secs. I lost interest before I even read this article. Just FYI.
What does 4GB of ram have to do with anything? It is your internet connection… has nothing to do with your computer (except if you have tons of malware — which is unlikely on a mac)
Quick, everyone google search for “hugs and puppies”
If this is 4chan as the last one was, I will be truly amazed that one website /community/ forum can be responsible for so much naughtiness on this huge internet of ours.
http://www.quan...t.com/4chan.org
2.3 million people can swing some weight.
it’s ebaumsworld.
Yes, it was on 4Chan’s /b/ board, but the other Chans and Ebaumsworld (plus a handful of other places) jump in, and thousands of people work on such pranks together.
4Chan is a HUGE site (Bigger than TC by a magnitude). I can’t believe that everyone’s talking about propoganda and Hamas, and its just some Lulz by /b/tards.
Come on, you guys pretend to be computer professionals, and yet have no idea about the power of Anonymous? It’s one step from a modern day Illuminati. They make stuff happen online, and you never know about it.
This is like the whole wingdings thing after 911, where if you type in q33 (supposedly a flight number?) it makes that symbol, a plane flying into the two towers.
http://www.snop...s/wingdings.asp
here are the most researched of the 2008
http://amazonbe...ts-of-2008.html
Thanks for sharing. It’s really strangle. Maybe some one, an blackhat online marketer or SEOer, want to test something.
HAHA, 5. Skanks in nyc
▲
▲ ▲
umm , ok, how the hell did he post those characters? Their not ASCII yet they work as plain txt copy and paste into a UNIX term? I’ve been around the block a few times (like Skanks in NYC ) and the only time I have seen these chars is wingdings (or dingbat for us Linux users) font.. which this cant be, as those would not translate into plain (no pun intended) text?
http://en.wikip...rg/wiki/Unicode
U+25B2 = ▲
U+2708 = ✈
Ohhh man, I looked over the Miscellaneous symbols for UTF-8 and didnt see 2708.. So I assumed it was magic
-Thanks for clearing that up Adrian
I think Google has enough cash they can pay someone to monitor this for them or prior to the software listing the latest trends require approval from a human.
This is a sick joke that I believe started from a forum posting in eBaum’s world. Someone thought it would be funny. NOT.
I can confirm this is where it originated. At least no serious harm was done.
America deserved 9/11
Die.
It’s funny and creative usage of character forms.
This site was the 1st to post it… Read it and thought it was strange.
http://themonda...com/2009/01/06/
Maybe there are just a bunch of people watching some conspiracy video about Microsoft, Wing Dings, and terrorist attacks who are looking it up. Stranger things have happened. It’s the Internet, come on now.
I don’t believe whatsoever about what google has to say that they found those graphics as something people are searching for.
They were hacked, plain and simple. They’re full of shit, trying to make us believe it’s user generated.
Fuck Google!
Even if you could make that in html, you can’t search google with html. And even if I’m wrong there, how could #2 become that–there aren’t even enough tech savvy people to paste html into a google search form.
You are a moron.
I think the output of G-trends says more about algorithms used than the trends themselves.
it’s still in the lab, for a reason.
Why so serious?
Actually, I think the output of G-spot is more interesting than G-trends
I am surprised that Google doesn’t have a better filtering process for these kinds of things.
Testing fb connect…
The 2nd screenshot displays one of the related searches as ”romeinse rijk”.
Dutch for ”roman empire”.
Maybe this explains something . . .
the jews did 9/11
Fucking eBaum’s world…
Two planes in your momma, sure.
Fuck off you fag Slapnuts