Anyone notice Google is acting odd today?

[JoeB131]

I've tired using Google several times today, and it keeps rerouting me into websited I didn't ask for and aren't looking for.

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Ernie S.]

Nope. Used it 6 or 8 times, I'd bet, and no problems.

 

[Ernie S.]

Maybe google sold out to the Mormons and they're just fucking with you.

 

[JoeB131]

Nope. Used it 6 or 8 times, I'd bet, and no problems.

Well, thanks. I'm checking for viruses now to make sure I didn't pick something up.

I know they discontinued images, but it keeps tossing me into a search engine that isn't Google... so I'm not sure what it's doing.

 

[JoeB131]

Maybe google sold out to the Mormons and they're just fucking with you.

I thought they were all still in mourning because we slapped down their creepy guy on the White Horse.

Whoops. Another Mormon Prophecy that didn't happen.

 

[Toronado3800]

I would try another computer then run your virus scan. I would be worried about a browser hijack or similar.

 

[JoeB131]

I would try another computer then run your virus scan. I would be worried about a browser hijack or similar.

I'm running a virus scan as we speak.

 

[Ernie S.]

So, what did you find? Was it that pesky virus Mormon.exe?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

That definitely sounds like malware.
I would also suspect that your virus software may also be compromised, which can happen with a successful virus.
Myself...I would download and install AVG free virus software and immediately do a full scan in safe mode.

 

[Warrior102]

I've tired using Google several times today, and it keeps rerouting me into websited I didn't ask for and aren't looking for.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Working fine for me. I Google "Polesmoking Faggot" and you still pop up top of the list.

 

[jillian]

Nope. Used it 6 or 8 times, I'd bet, and no problems.

Well, thanks. I'm checking for viruses now to make sure I didn't pick something up.

I know they discontinued images, but it keeps tossing me into a search engine that isn't Google... so I'm not sure what it's doing.

that happened to someone else i know today. the site he was diverted to changed his homepage.

 

[JoeB131]

I've tired using Google several times today, and it keeps rerouting me into websited I didn't ask for and aren't looking for.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Working fine for me. I Google "Polesmoking Faggot" and you still pop up top of the list.

Why are you googling that phrase exactly?

Oh, wait... Now we know.

 

[retro]

Just tried Google and seems to be working correctly.

I dialled up 'stormfront forum' and got the uplifting message, that the UK will get its first black prime minister by 2020 - Streatham MP Chuka Umunna was 'born to be Prime Minister'.

Oh joy! - wish I hadn't tried it now ..

 

[martybegan]

That definitely sounds like malware.
I would also suspect that your virus software may also be compromised, which can happen with a successful virus.
Myself...I would download and install AVG free virus software and immediately do a full scan in safe mode.

Yep. I use malware bytes in addition to my AV software.

My grandfather's computer got hit by a trojan and it erased his Mcafee software entirely.

You may have to download malware bytes first on another computer and transfer it with a thumb drive, as some malware will prevent you from accessing AV/antimalware sites.

 

[RightNorLeft]

Google is working like it always does for me...I do a search and it gives me all the site related that pay them to be on top...Google sucks but so do all of them now...If im earnestly looking for something I use a few of them and decide

 

[JoeB131]

Whatever the problem was, it seems to be gone now after I ran Anti-Virus.

 

[waltky]

Eric Schmidt gonna go over there an' hobnob with lil' Kim...

Google chairman heading to North Korea
Jan 3,`13 -- When he lands in North Korea, even Google's executive chairman will likely have to relinquish his smartphone, leaving him disconnected from the global information network he helped build.

Eric Schmidt is a staunch advocate of global Internet access and the power of Internet connectivity in lifting people out of poverty and political oppression. This month, he plans to travel to the country with the world's most restrictive Internet policies, where locals need government permission to interact with foreigners - in person, by phone or by email - and only a tiny portion of the elite class is connected to the Internet.

The visit may be a sign of Pyongyang's growing desire to engage with the outside world. North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, talks about using science and technology to jumpstart the country's moribund economy, even if it means turning to experts from enemy nations for help. In recent years, "North Korea has made a lot of investment in science and technology, not just for military purpose but also for the industry and practical reasons," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at South Korea's Kyungnam University. But the U.S. government Thursday voiced its opposition to the trip, saying the timing was "unhelpful." Last month, North Korea launched a long-range rocket in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Google's intentions in North Korea are not clear. Two people familiar with the plans told The Associated Press that the trip was a "private, humanitarian mission." They asked not to be named, saying the delegation has not made the trip public. Schmidt will be traveling with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a seasoned envoy, and Kun "Tony" Namkung, a Korea expert with long ties to North Korea. "Perhaps the most intriguing part of this trip is simply the idea of it," Victor Cha, an Asia expert who traveled to North Korea with Richardson in 2007, wrote in a blog post for the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

Kim Jong Un "clearly has a penchant for the modern accoutrements of life. If Google is the first small step in piercing the information bubble in Pyongyang, it could be a very interesting development." But this trip will probably be less about opening up North Korea's Internet than about discussing information technology, Lim said. North Korea may be more interested in Google services such as email and mapping, as well as software development, than in giving its people Internet access, he said.

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US cool on Google's Eric Schmidt visiting North Korea
3 January 2013 - Google's chairman, Eric Schmidt has not yet commented on the forthcoming trip

The US state department has said a planned visit to North Korea by Google chairman Eric Schmidt is unhelpful. The reason for the trip has not yet been revealed, but reports say it is part of a humanitarian mission led by US politician Bill Richardson. State department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: "We don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful." Ms Nuland added that Mr Schmidt and Mr Richardson were "well aware" of the US government's views.

Mr Richardson, a former governor of New Mexico, has been involved in ad-hoc negotiations with the North Koreans in the last 20 years and has helped in securing the release of US nationals detained by Pyongyang. Last month, North Korea arrested a US citizen of Korean origin, Pae Jun Ho, for unspecified alleged crimes. Google is present in neighbouring China, where it was involved in lengthy negotiations over internet access before it effectively shut down its Chinese search engine in 2010.

Internet use is highly restricted in North Korea, where few people have access to a computer and most users can only access a national intranet rather than the world wide web. Some analysts speculated that for Google's Eric Schmidt the trip could have strategic reasons. "I think this is part of Google's broader vision to bring the Internet to the world, and North Korea is the last frontier," said Peter Beck, of South Korean's non-profit Asia Foundation, to Reuters. Google has refused to comment so far.

More BBC News - US cool on Google's Eric Schmidt visiting North Korea

 

[Ringel05]

Whatever the problem was, it seems to be gone now after I ran Anti-Virus.

These type of viruses usually "hide" when antivirus software is run then reappear later. The safest way to make sure it's gone is do a system restore from a point before the issue started, that way you can be fairly sure the virus is gone. Before you do the restore back up any documents, etc, you have created since the point you will restore from onto a thumb drive. if any data is lost during the restore you'll still have it and if needed you can plug in the thumb drive and run a virus scan on it before moving any files over to your main system.
BTW I run Avast, AVG has become as bloated and unnecessarily invasive as Norton. I also run Malwarebytes as a backup and run CCleaner, to clear my registry, from time to time.

 

[waltky]

Mebbe dey wanna get to google at lil' Kim's new wife...

Analysis: Why Google's N. Korea visit irks US
Jan 5,`13 - Google chief Eric Schmidt's plan to visit North Korea has put the Obama administration in the awkward position of opposing a champion of Internet freedom engaging with one of the most intensely censored countries. But the Obama administration is wary: It fears Schmidt's trip could give a boost to North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, just when Washington is trying to pressure him.

The administration is wary for a reason. It fears that Schmidt's trip could give a boost to North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, just when Washington is trying to pressure him. It was only last month when North Korea launched a long-range rocket in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. While the U.S. and its allies are seeking harsher penalties against the reclusive communist government. That effort is proving difficult because of a resistance from China, a permanent member of the council. Beijing probably worries that its troublesome ally could respond to any new punishment by conducting a nuclear test.

U.S. officials are also concerned that the high-profile visit could confuse American allies in Asia and suggest a shift in U.S. policy as the administration prepares to install a new secretary of state to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama has nominated Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004. An imminent change of government in South Korea, a close U.S. friend, is raising questions about whether the two countries can remain in lockstep in their dealings with the North. Newly elected leader Park Geun-hye is expected to seek a more conciliatory approach toward North Korea after she takes up the presidency in February.

This helps to explain why the State Department, which has been a vigorous advocate of social media freedoms around the world, particularly last year during the Arab Spring, made clear it was displeased by the planned "private, humanitarian" visit by Schmidt and former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Their trip is expected this month. "We don't think the timing of the visit is helpful and they are well aware of our views," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday. Richardson, a seasoned envoy and a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Friday that the State Department should not be nervous. In interviews with CBS and CNN, Richardson said they had been planning to visit in December but postponed the trip at the department's request because of the presidential election that month in South Korea.

Richardson said he would raise with North Korea the matter of an American detained last month on suspicion of committing unspecified "hostile" acts against the state; the charge could draw a sentence of 10 years of hard labor. He'll also try to meet with the detainee. He also said he was concerned about North Korea's nuclear proliferation and this was a "very important juncture" to talk and try to move the North Koreans in the "right direction." Schmidt, Richardson said, was traveling as a private citizen. But the trip raises questions about whether Google has plans for North Korea.

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[waltky]

Google exec ends mystery tour of North Korea...

Google's Schmidt urges Internet openness in NKorea
Jan 10,`13 -- Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt said Thursday it's up to North Korea to shed its self-imposed isolation and allow its citizens to use the Internet and connect with the outside world, or risk remaining way behind other countries.

Schmidt was returning from a private trip to North Korea with former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that was not sanctioned by the U.S. government and has been criticized for appearing to boost Pyongyang's profile after its widely condemned rocket launch put a satellite into space last month. "As the world is becoming increasingly connected," Schmidt said, "their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth and so forth. It will make it harder for them to catch up economically. We made that alternative very, very clear."

The nine-member delegation, which also included Jared Cohen, director of the company's Google Ideas think tank, was greeted at the Beijing airport by a throng of reporters at the end of their four-day trip. "The government has to do something," Schmidt said. "It has to make it possible for the people to use the Internet. It is their choice now. It's in my view time for them to start, or else they will remain behind." During the trip, Richardson said they also urged Pyongyang to halt all missile and nuclear tests, which have incurred U.N. sanctions, and sought fair treatment for an American who has been detained in North Korea.

Schmidt, CEO of the U.S.-based Internet giant until 2011, has been a vocal proponent of Internet freedom and openness around the world. He and Cohen are publishing a book in April about the power of global connectivity in transforming people's lives, policies and politics. Cohen doesn't typically accompany Schmidt on Google-sanctioned trips, so his inclusion in the delegation may be a sign that the two men may have mainly been interested in gathering material for their book.

In Pyongyang, Schmidt's group visited a university computer lab and met with students and North Korean officials. They toured the frigid brick building in central Pyongyang that is the heart of North Korea's own computer industry, where Schmidt asked pointed questions about a new homegrown tablet computer as well as its Red Star operating system. He briefly donned a pair of 3-D goggles during the tour of the Korea Computer Center.

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See also:

Google's Schmidt urges N. Korea to embrace Web
January 10, 2013: Google's Eric Schmidt wrapped up a controversial trip to North Korea on Thursday during which he urged the isolated state to embrace the Internet or face further economic decline.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who accompanied Schmidt on the trip, told reporters that the visit had been productive, and said the delegation had advocated more open access to information in North Korea, and a stop to missile launches and nuclear tests. Schmidt said continued isolation in an increasingly connected world would make it harder for North Korea to catch up economically. "We made that alternative very, very clear," he said, after arriving back in the Chinese capital Beijing. "They have to make it possible for people to use the Internet, which the government in North Korea has not done. It's their choice now."

Richardson had described the trip as a "private humanitarian mission." And it was thought that the delegation would try and negotiate the release of an American, Kenneth Bae, who had been detained in North Korea. By Thursday, it was clear that effort had failed. The delegation, Richardson said, did not meet the country's young leader Kim Jong Un, and the most senior official to meet with the group was a vice minister. Many North Korea watchers remain puzzled by the presence of Google's executive chairman in the delegation.

High-profile visits to North Korea by American business leaders are rare, and Schmidt's trip is certainly the most notable example since Kim was installed last year as the country's leader. In a statement issued last week, a spokeswoman for Google said the company does not comment on "personal travel" by its executives, a sign that Schmidt was not making the trip at the behest of his employer. The trip was also made over the objections of the State Department, which is trying to manage fallout resulting from a successful rocket launch carried out by North Korea in the face of international condemnation.

The State Department said last week that the trip was ill-timed. "Frankly we don't think the timing of this is particularly helpful, but they are private citizens and they are making their own decisions," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "They are well aware of our views." Jared Cohen, a former State Department official who now leads Google's in-house think tank, was also on the trip. And the Associated Press reported that Schmidt's daughter, Sophie, joined as well. Earlier in the week, Richardson, Cohen and Schmidt toured Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, where computer science students showed off their web-surfing skills.

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