When Google erases you, do you exist any more?
Recently, the file-sharing company Kazaa discovered that some hackers had made a copy of their software, and were circulated it online as "Kazaa Lite". The normal Kazaa program includes adware and spyware; the program serves up ads and spies on your online activity, the better for Kazaa to sell you to advertisers. With Kazaa Lite, the hackers stripped out all spyware and adware, so that users could now download Xtina MP3s without any commercializing extras.
As you might imagine, Kazaa is trying to quash Kazaa Lite, because it's eating into their revenues, and constitutes an illegal hack of their program. But how precisely do you stop people from downloading a program that's already posted a few dozen of web sites, for free?
By making it invisible on Google, that's how. A few weeks ago, Kazaa fired off a nastygram letter to Google, demanding it remove links to any sites hosting the Kazaa Lite program. So if you search for Kazaa Lite, you'll find several results removed, and a message from Google:
In response to a complaint we received under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, we have removed 10 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read the DMCA complaint for these removed results.
I have to give Google props. They're hardly ethically perfect, but they consistently resist outsiders mucking with their search engine, and when they're forced to comply, they usually protest. And they do, after all, have enormous power and thus enormous responsibility to keep their results clean. That search engine is the ontological basis of online reality: If you can't find something on Google -- son, it probably don't exist.
Here's something weird, though. I originally heard about this via a story on Cnet -- but when I went back to try and find the story, it was gone. You can read the story on -- touché -- a cached copy of the story I found on Google. But Cnet never removes any old stories from its archive, to my knowledge, so this is kind of odd.
Posted by Clive Thompson at September 09, 2003 10:58 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.collisiondetection.net/mt3/mt-tb.cgi/537
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference When Google erases you, do you exist any more?:
Tracked on March 15, 2005 5:40 PM
clicked on your link; another instance of the Google Dance?
Official Kazaa Lite K++ Website
Kazaa Lite K++ is a FREE, clean and highly improved version of Kazaa.
K-Lite Codec Pack for playing all your downloaded movies.
www.kazaalitekpp.com/ - 2k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Wired News: Kazaa Lite: No Spyware Aftertaste
... Kazaa Lite: No Spyware Aftertaste. ... While Sharman is upset with the situation, it's
these open networks, like Kazaa Lite, that have allowed file-sharing to grow. ...
www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51916,00.html - 22k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Wired News: Kazaa to Offer Subscriptions
... When news of those applications came to light, several users began hacking
the Kazaa code, creating a spyware-free application called Kazaa Lite. ...
www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,52062,00.html - 20k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.wired.com ]
Download Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1 - Improved version of Kazaa LITE ! ...
... Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1, Subscribe to this program, Developer, ...
www.softnews.ro/public/cat/10/6/10-6-25.shtml - 62k - Cached - Similar pages
www.refosearch.tk
Clean filesharing software.
www.refosearch.tk/ - 1k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Edskes File Download Mirror
... com ke8.edskes.com le3.edskes.com le4.edskes.com le8.edskes.com me7.edskes.com
ftp.edskes.com ftp1.edskes.com ftp2.edskes.com, Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1 English, ...
home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm - 64k - Cached - Similar pages
Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ
Welcome to the Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Here
you can find answers to questions about Kazaa Lite K++. Kazaa ...
home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/klitefaq.htm - 74k - Cached - Similar pages
mp3-world.net :: Software :: Filesharing :: Kazaa Lite - [ Translate this page ]
Kazaa Lite Ver. K++ 2.4.2 (Deutsch), Kategorie: Filesharing, Stand: 01.09.2003, Grösse:
3337 MB, Lizentyp: Freeware. ... Home :: Software :: Filesharing. Kazaa Lite. ...
www.mp3-world.net/d/software/programs/ mp3_search/2074.shtml - 30k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Posted by: Alfred O. Cloutier at September 9, 2003 12:07 PM
Sorry, that was more obnoxious than I thought.
Posted by: Alfred O. Cloutier at September 9, 2003 12:26 PM
Nah, that wasn't obnoxious at all! It's true, even when I clicked on it, Google did in fact cough up some results for Kazaa Lite. It's just that many others were removed, as witnessed by Google's note at the bottom of the page.
Having said that, the mere fact that you can still find a few copies of Kazaa Lite indicaates that it's clear that it's pretty hard to *entirely* quash things on Google. I suppose the only way to do it would be to cut the search off at the head -- i.e. to have Google route all queries grammatically resembling "Kazaa Lite" (with all relevant misspellings) to a null page.
Posted by: Clive at September 9, 2003 8:34 PM
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 8:59 AM
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 9:16 AM
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 9:29 AM
Its not a 180 degree turn, its a pi radians turn. Belive you me, when you are integrating a trig function and evaluating the limits, you'll be happy you learned radians.
Posted by: Lickity Slit Lesbians at January 5, 2004 7:08 PM
Posted by: Lickity Slit Lesbians at January 5, 2004 7:10 PM
island information, bali golf thanks bali
Posted by: SexTracker Statistics at January 5, 2004 7:24 PM
Posted by: lesbian ejacuation hot zoophilia animalvideo vivo fuck off early pass picture camp at January 6, 2004 12:00 PM
Posted by: tattoo motive at January 7, 2004 3:50 PM
Posted by: referate at January 7, 2004 3:51 PM
Posted by: iq test online at January 7, 2004 3:52 PM
Posted by: tattoos vorlagen at January 7, 2004 3:52 PM
Posted by: bewerbung at January 7, 2004 3:53 PM
Posted by: Online Casino at January 16, 2004 12:26 PM
Posted by: julia at January 24, 2004 6:55 PM
Posted by: Hotel Italien at June 27, 2004 12:28 PM
Post a comment
clicked on your link; another instance of the Google Dance?
Official Kazaa Lite K++ Website
Kazaa Lite K++ is a FREE, clean and highly improved version of Kazaa.
K-Lite Codec Pack for playing all your downloaded movies.
www.kazaalitekpp.com/ - 2k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Wired News: Kazaa Lite: No Spyware Aftertaste
... Kazaa Lite: No Spyware Aftertaste. ... While Sharman is upset with the situation, it's
these open networks, like Kazaa Lite, that have allowed file-sharing to grow. ...
www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,51916,00.html - 22k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Wired News: Kazaa to Offer Subscriptions
... When news of those applications came to light, several users began hacking
the Kazaa code, creating a spyware-free application called Kazaa Lite. ...
www.wired.com/news/mp3/0,1285,52062,00.html - 20k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
[ More results from www.wired.com ]
Download Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1 - Improved version of Kazaa LITE ! ...
... Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1, Subscribe to this program, Developer, ...
www.softnews.ro/public/cat/10/6/10-6-25.shtml - 62k - Cached - Similar pages
www.refosearch.tk
Clean filesharing software.
www.refosearch.tk/ - 1k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Edskes File Download Mirror
... com ke8.edskes.com le3.edskes.com le4.edskes.com le8.edskes.com me7.edskes.com
ftp.edskes.com ftp1.edskes.com ftp2.edskes.com, Kazaa Lite K++ 2.4.1 English, ...
home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm - 64k - Cached - Similar pages
Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ
Welcome to the Kazaa Lite K++ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Here
you can find answers to questions about Kazaa Lite K++. Kazaa ...
home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/klitefaq.htm - 74k - Cached - Similar pages
mp3-world.net :: Software :: Filesharing :: Kazaa Lite - [ Translate this page ]
Kazaa Lite Ver. K++ 2.4.2 (Deutsch), Kategorie: Filesharing, Stand: 01.09.2003, Grösse:
3337 MB, Lizentyp: Freeware. ... Home :: Software :: Filesharing. Kazaa Lite. ...
www.mp3-world.net/d/software/programs/ mp3_search/2074.shtml - 30k - Sep 8, 2003 - Cached - Similar pages
Posted by: Alfred O. Cloutier at September 9, 2003 12:07 PM
Sorry, that was more obnoxious than I thought.
Posted by: Alfred O. Cloutier at September 9, 2003 12:26 PM
Nah, that wasn't obnoxious at all! It's true, even when I clicked on it, Google did in fact cough up some results for Kazaa Lite. It's just that many others were removed, as witnessed by Google's note at the bottom of the page.
Having said that, the mere fact that you can still find a few copies of Kazaa Lite indicaates that it's clear that it's pretty hard to *entirely* quash things on Google. I suppose the only way to do it would be to cut the search off at the head -- i.e. to have Google route all queries grammatically resembling "Kazaa Lite" (with all relevant misspellings) to a null page.
Posted by: Clive at September 9, 2003 8:34 PM
Hoo great stuff!
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 8:59 AM
Hoo great stuff!
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 9:16 AM
Hoo great stuff!
Posted by: anal bondage games at January 4, 2004 9:29 AM
Its not a 180 degree turn, its a pi radians turn. Belive you me, when you are integrating a trig function and evaluating the limits, you'll be happy you learned radians.
Posted by: Lickity Slit Lesbians at January 5, 2004 7:08 PM
Greetings from Germany
Posted by: Lickity Slit Lesbians at January 5, 2004 7:10 PM
island information, bali golf thanks bali
Posted by: SexTracker Statistics at January 5, 2004 7:24 PM
Mature Nude Woman
Posted by: lesbian ejacuation hot zoophilia animalvideo vivo fuck off early pass picture camp at January 6, 2004 12:00 PM
tattoo motive
Posted by: tattoo motive at January 7, 2004 3:50 PM
referate
Posted by: referate at January 7, 2004 3:51 PM
iq test online
Posted by: iq test online at January 7, 2004 3:52 PM
tattoos vorlagen
Posted by: tattoos vorlagen at January 7, 2004 3:52 PM
bewerbung
Posted by: bewerbung at January 7, 2004 3:53 PM
Nice site. thx.
Posted by: Online Casino at January 16, 2004 12:26 PM
Posted by: julia at January 24, 2004 6:55 PM
Hotel in Paris
Hotel in Venedig
Hotel in Budapest
Hotel in Lissabon
Hotel in London
Hotel in Rom
Hotel in Paris
Hotel in Mailand
Hotels in Bangkok
Hotel in Edinburgh
Hotel in Wien
Hotel in Madrid
Hotel in Barcelona
Hotel in Prag
Hotel in Amsterdam
Hotel in Bruessel
Hotel in Nizza
Hotel in Florenz
Hotel in Mailand
Hotel in Neapel
Hotel in Athen
Hotel in Genf
Hotel in Dublin
Hotel in Rom
Hotel in Florenz
Hotel in Venedig
Hotel in Wien
Hotel in London
Hotel in Barcelona
Hotel in Madrid
Hotel in Lissabon
Hotels in Prag
Hotels in New York
Unterkunft-Pisa
Staedtereise-Pisa
Appartement-Pisa
Appartement-in-Pisa
Unterkunft-in-Pisa
Hotelfuehrer-Pisa
Uebernachtung-Pisa
Hotelfuehrer-Pisa
Staedtereisen-Rom
Zimmer-in-Rom
Unterkunft-Rom
Staedtereise-Rom
Appartement-Rom
Appartement-in-Rom
Unterkunft-in-Rom
Hotelfuehrer-Rom
Uebernachtung-Rom
Hotelfuehrer-Rom
Staedtereisen-Siena
Zimmer-in-Siena
Unterkunft-Siena
Staedtereise-Siena
Appartement-Siena
Appartement-in-Siena
Unterkunft-in-Siena
Hotelfuehrer-Siena
Uebernachtung-Siena
Hotelfuehrer-Siena
Staedtereisen-Venedig
Zimmer-in-Venedig
Unterkunft-Venedig
Staedtereise-Venedig
Appartement-Venedig
Appartement-in-Venedig
Unterkunft-in-Venedig
Hotelfuehrer-Venedig
Uebernachtung-Venedig
Hotelfuehrer-Venedig
Staedtereisen-Verona
Zimmer-in-Verona
Unterkunft-Verona
Staedtereise-Verona
Appartement-Verona
Appartement-in-Verona
Unterkunft-in-Verona
Hotelfuehrer-Verona
Uebernachtung-Verona
Hotels in Sydney
Hotels in Hong Kong
Hotels in Orlando
Hotels in London
Hotels in Stockholm
Hotels in Los Angeles
Hotels in San Francisco
Posted by: Hotel Italien at June 27, 2004 12:28 PM