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"This site may harm your computer" on every search result?!?!

If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may harm your computer" accompanied each and every search result. This was clearly an error, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to our users. What happened? Very simply, human error. Google flags search results with the message "This site may harm your computer" if the site is known to install malicious software in the background or otherwise surreptitiously. We do this to protect our users against visiting sites that could harm their computers. We maintain a list of such sites through both manual and automated methods. We work with a non-profit called <a href="http://stopbadware.org/">StopBadware.org</a> to come up with criteria for maintaining this list, and to provide simple processes for webmasters to remove their site from the list. We periodically update that list and released one such update to the site this morning. Unfortunately (and here's the human error), the URL of '/' was mistakenly checked in as a value to the file and '/' expands to all URLs. Fortunately, our on-call site reliability team found the problem quickly and reverted the file. Since we push these updates in a staggered and rolling fashion, the errors began appearing between 6:27 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. and began disappearing between 7:10 and 7:25 a.m., so the duration of the problem for any particular user was approximately 40 minutes. Thanks to our team for their quick work in finding this. And again, our apologies to any of you who were inconvenienced this morning, and to site owners whose pages were incorrectly labelled. We will carefully investigate this incident and put more robust file checks in place to prevent it from happening again. Thanks for your understanding. Update at 10:29 am PST: This post was revised as more precise information became available (changes are in blue). <a href="http://blog.stopbadware.org/2009/01/31/google-glitch-causes-confusion">Here's StopBadware's explanation</a>. Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP, Search Products & User Experience

"This site may harm your computer" on every search result?!?!

If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may harm yo...

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Google Toolbar in Firefox: a personalized new tab page

Those of you who use <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/google-toolbar-5-now-available-in.html">Google Toolbar on Firefox</a> are probably pretty familiar with the <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/static.py?page=features.html">many features</a> Toolbar 5 (beta) has to offer — from bookmarks to <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/features.html#custombuttons">buttons</a> and search box to "<a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/features.html#sendto">send to</a>." We've added a couple more features to the Firefox Toolbar, so feel free to <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">download this "second beta"</a> to get all the latest and greatest Google Toolbar has to offer. One of the features I'm really excited about is the new tab page. Now, when you open up a new tab, instead of the blank white page you see by default in Firefox, you will instead see small thumbnails of your favorite sites (up to 9), as well as recently-closed and bookmarked pages based on your browser history. You can <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115562">edit the thumbnails</a>, and all this data remains locally on your browser, which means none of the information about your most viewed sites or recently closed pages will be sent back to Google. If for whatever reason you don't like this updated new tab page, you can always change it back to a blank page or to the website of your choice through either your Toolbar or Firefox settings. Some tab extensions may conflict with this feature, and it currently isn't compatible with Firefox 2, so make sure you check your settings or visit the Google Toolbar <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/">help center</a> if you are having any problems. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickbvBGY2vfqS4U99AVTxa54a1wqU8wp98coJenjdz0R13k9Vns14gIPxQzDH4AIsN70vV3qZPZezl5WgCoZoyqZbnmz5eoi4SwzWvaqAZdDfXYrehkGtgaMVoTBzJOLiJWTbzKkE2DB_i/s1600-h/ff-tabs-blogpost-image.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297156956665186898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEickbvBGY2vfqS4U99AVTxa54a1wqU8wp98coJenjdz0R13k9Vns14gIPxQzDH4AIsN70vV3qZPZezl5WgCoZoyqZbnmz5eoi4SwzWvaqAZdDfXYrehkGtgaMVoTBzJOLiJWTbzKkE2DB_i/s400/ff-tabs-blogpost-image.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" /></a> Next time you want to go to your favorite site more quickly or restore an accidentally closed tab, you don't need to type out the URL. Typing Ctrl + T or double-clicking to the right of your open tabs will open up the new tab page with all your favorite sites right at your finger tips. In addition, this release now provides the ability for <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/iw/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">Hebrew</a>- and <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/ar/index.html?tbbrand=GZEZ&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-et-ffblog&utm_medium=et">Arabic</a>-speaking users to access Toolbar 5 with robust right-to-left text support. We've also fixed some of the most reported bugs to give you a faster and more stable experience with this update. We're always working on improvements and new features to Google Toolbar based on your feedback, so <a href="http://www.google.com/support/toolbar/bin/request.py?contact_type=feedback">keep those suggestions coming</a>. Update on 4/1: Yesterday, <a href="http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/toolbar/FT5/intl/en/index.html">Firefox Toolbar 5</a> came out of beta. Posted by Sergey Ryazanov, Software Engineer, Toolbar Team

Google Toolbar in Firefox: a personalized new tab page

Those of you who use Google Toolbar on Firefox are probably pretty familiar with the many features Toolbar 5 (beta) has to offer — from bo...

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Introducing Measurement Lab

When an Internet application doesn't work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused by your broadband ISP, the application, your PC, or something else? It can be difficult for experts, let alone average Internet users, to address this sort of question today. Last year we asked a small group of academics about ways to advance network research and provide users with tools to test their broadband connections. Today Google, the <a href="http://www.newamerica.net/">New America Foundation</a>'s Open Technology Institute, the <a href="http://www.planet-lab.org/">PlanetLab Consortium</a>, and academic researchers are taking the wraps off of <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/">Measurement Lab</a> (M-Lab), an open platform that researchers can use to deploy Internet measurement tools. Researchers are already developing tools that allow users to, among other things, measure the speed of their connection, run diagnostics, and attempt to discern if their ISP is blocking or throttling particular applications. These tools generate and send some data back-and-forth between the user's computer and a server elsewhere on the Internet. Unfortunately, researchers lack widely-distributed servers with ample connectivity. This poses a barrier to the accuracy and scalability of these tools. Researchers also have trouble sharing data with one another. M-Lab aims to address these problems. Over the course of early 2009, Google will provide researchers with 36 servers in 12 locations in the U.S. and Europe. All data collected via M-Lab will be made publicly available for other researchers to build on. M-Lab is intended to be a truly community-based effort, and we welcome the support of other companies, institutions, researchers, and users that want to provide servers, tools, or other resources that can help the platform flourish. Today, M-Lab is at the beginning of its development. To start, <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/measurement-lab-tools.html">three tools</a> running on servers near Google's headquarters are available to help users attempt to diagnose common problems that might impair their broadband speed, as well as determine whether BitTorrent is being blocked or throttled by their ISPs. These tools were created by the individual researchers who helped found M-Lab. By running these tools, users will get information about their connection and provide researchers with valuable aggregate data. Like M-Lab itself these tools are still in development, and they will only support a limited number of simultaneous users at this initial stage. At Google, we care deeply about sustaining the Internet as an open platform for consumer choice and innovation. No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that Internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they're getting when they sign up for broadband, and <a href="http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280909A3.doc">good data is the bedrock of sound policy</a>. Transparency has always been crucial to the success of the Internet, and, by advancing network research in this area, M-Lab aims to help sustain a healthy, innovative Internet. You can learn more at the <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/about.html">M-Lab website</a>. If you're a researcher who'd like to deploy a tool, or a company or institution that is interested in providing technical resources, we invite you to <a href="http://www.measurementlab.net/getinvolved.html">get involved</a>. Posted by Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, and Stephen Stuart, Principal Engineer

Introducing Measurement Lab

When an Internet application doesn't work as expected or your connection seems flaky, how can you tell whether there is a problem caused...

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Raising data privacy awareness

For the second year, the U.S. and Canada are joining 27 European countries to celebrate <a href="http://www.intel.com/policy/dataprivacy.htm" id="naqe" title="Data Privacy Day 2009">Data Privacy Day</a> today. As we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/celebrating-data-privacy.html" id="aw3:" title="explained">explained</a> last year, the lack of understanding about online data protection is a global issue. As increasing amounts of data get uploaded to the Internet every day, it becomes more and more important for people to understand the benefits and risks of online communications and to learn how to use available tools to control and manage the information they share online. To mark this special day of awareness, we are supporting an event hosted by the Information Technology Association of America called "<a href="http://www.itaa.org/events/event.cfm?EventID=2849" id="m.2p" title=""Data Privacy Day: Increasing Privacy Awareness and Trust."">Data Privacy Day: Increasing Privacy Awareness and Trust</a>." We'll join U.S. and European government officials and key members of the privacy community on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to discuss how to increase public awareness about data privacy. This event is a part of our ongoing constructive dialogue with regulators and legislators, consumer and industry groups, and think tanks and privacy advocates to discuss how to protect user information. Our efforts to raise data privacy awareness extend beyond the public policy arena; we aim to connect directly with our users, too. We're committed to protecting users' online privacy by following the principles of transparency and choice. We're transparent about the data we collect, and we design products that give people control over the information they share. Earlier this year, we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/privacy-made-easier.html" id="b:_5" title="revamped our Privacy Center">revamped our Privacy Center</a>, where we offer <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy_faq.html" id="tjsk" title="information">information</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FCEE46AA997A23D9" id="p9cs" title="tips">tips</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/googleprivacy" id="a-s1" title="videos">videos</a> that explain Google's privacy practices and show people how they can control what data they share. The Privacy Center also includes a link to a <a title="blog series" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-we-help-track-flu-trends.html" id="x3jy">series of blog posts</a> about how we use data to improve our products and services for our users. We recently translated the Privacy Center into multiple languages so that we can better serve people all around the world. We're also continuously working on innovative services and features that make information available to people in new ways, but with built-in privacy controls. For example, we introduced privacy-protective <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/street-view-revisits-manhattan.html" id="lwfx" title="face-blurring">face-blurring</a> for Street View earlier this year. And the launch of our browser, Google Chrome, included a feature for surfing the Internet in "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWk8uGdUEkQ&feature=channel_page" id="esch" title="incognito mode">incognito mode</a>." For the coming year, we want to improve our privacy practices even more by engaging in further dialogue with people who use our products and services, offering up easier-to-understand policies, and providing more privacy tools and controls. We hope that you'll take a few minutes on Data Privacy Day to <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacy.html">explore our Privacy Center</a> and learn about our commitment to this important issue. Posted by Peter Fleischer and Jane Horvath, Global Privacy Counsel

Raising data privacy awareness

For the second year, the U.S. and Canada are joining 27 European countries to celebrate Data Privacy Day today. As we explained last year,...

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More computing, less power

In the fall we posted information about the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/saving-electricity-one-data-center-at.html">efficiency of Google data centers</a> and promised to update this information every quarter. We've now collected data for the fourth quarter of 2008 and published them to our <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/datacenters/">sustainable computing website</a>. Specifically, we're keeping track of the efficiency of any Google-designed data center with an IT load of at least 5 MW and a time-in-operation of at least 6 months. In Q4 our average power and cooling overhead in these facilities was 16%, bringing the overhead for the trailing 12 months to 19% (down from 21% a quarter earlier). For comparison, a recent EPA report put the overhead of the average enterprise data center at 100% or higher. We're very happy to have further improved our efficiency, and a number of factors contributed to that result. First, efficiency is affected by seasonal weather patterns — cooler weather is better than hot weather, and several of our facilities benefited from that in Q4. Also, we continually review our efficiency metrics so that we notice, for example, that one of our data centers is not performing consistently with others of similar size and locale. So we'll take a closer look at optimizing that facility. Are we using fans to cool spaces that don't need to be cooled? Is the thermostat at the right set-point? Can we reduce the time the chillers need to run while keeping the machines operational? So we apply lessons we've learned from better-performing data centers to other facilities, and several such improvements took place in Q4. For the nitty-gritty technical details, visit our <a href="http://www.google.com/corporate/green/datacenters/measuring.html">data center efficiency page</a>. While we've made a lot of progress in data center efficiency, we're still learning. As we continue to explore ways to use the least amount of power to do the most amount of computing, we'll continue to share our data and best practices with you. In early March we will participate in the <a href="http://www.cebit.de/homepage_e">CeBIT conference</a> where we plan to disclose more details on our sustainability efforts as part of this year's theme of "Green IT." Stay tuned. Posted by Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations

More computing, less power

In the fall we posted information about the efficiency of Google data centers and promised to update this information every quarter. We...

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An update from the Project 10^100 team

As part of our tenth birthday celebration, in September we <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/project-10100.html">announced</a> Project 10^100, a call for ideas to help as many people as possible, and a program to bring the best of those ideas to life. The response we received has wowed and humbled us. People sent in more than 150,000 ideas, with submissions in all of the 25 languages for which we had a submission form. Proving that there is strength in numbers, many people submitted similar ideas for tackling big problems. All of this reviewing and sorting has kept Googlers around the world quite busy. Because of the sheer number of ideas we received, we were unable to compile the list of finalists in time for our January 27 target and will have to push back that announcement to March 17 (St. Patrick's Day). We apologize for the delay and encourage you to return to the <a href="http://www.project10tothe100.com/">site</a> on that date to vote for your favorite ideas. Perhaps the luck of the Irish will be with you and yours, or a similar idea will be a finalist! Update on 3/16: We will unfortunately have to delay announcing the top ideas for Project 10^100 for a while longer. We've never managed a project like this and it's taken more time than we ever imagined possible. We apologize for our over optimistic assumptions about how quickly we could analyze all the ideas that we've received, and thank everyone for their patience. We'll continue posting updates on Project 10^100 here. Posted by Andy Berndt, Managing Director, Google Creative Lab

An update from the Project 10^100 team

As part of our tenth birthday celebration, in September we announced Project 10^100, a call for ideas to help as many people as possible, a...

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A look back at spam in 2008

Most people think of "spam" as an unwelcome email that arrives – or, better yet, doesn't – in an email inbox, announcing some pesky, unsavory, or offensive opportunity that we most likely would rather not know about. But for the Google Enterprise team focused on spam that affects business (or, more accurately, on preventing it), the word means more. Looking back over 2008, a year where spam levels rose more than 25% compared with 2007, we have some memorable moments to share. From November's breakthrough "takedown" of a global spam proliferator to the day in April when spam hit an all-time high and the growing threat of link-borne viruses, the Google Enterprise "spam squad" (the team behind the products in our "powered by Postini" family) recaps "The Year in Spam" and provides an outlook for 2009 that might help you understand what to watch out for this year – and how you can keep email threats at bay. Head on over to the <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2009/01/2008-year-in-spam.html">Enterprise Blog</a> for more. Posted by Ellen Petry Leanse, Google Enterprise Team

A look back at spam in 2008

Most people think of "spam" as an unwelcome email that arrives – or, better yet, doesn't – in an email inbox, announcing some ...

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