Across the pond

Quite by accident when googling this morning I discovered that Google has blacked my blog. If you key in to Google anything on my blog at the URLs, www.thedailynovel.com and www.xcitybob.com you have a message in red saying that it may damage your computer. Not only that I discovered, when I went into the webmail of my internet provider, 1and1, that they have been blacking it since 17 April1!

They had sent an email telling me of their action to my 1and1 web mail. They gave one specific example of my malicious behaviour. This url: http://www.xcitybob.com/?p=442 refers to a blog which actually praises one giant company, the Daily Mail, for an article they did about the missing canoeist.

Like a good citizen I first tried to discover whether there was anything harmful in my blog. Any possible malicious software I mean, not words I might have written about George W Bush. I deleted a number of comments on my blog, which looked like possible spam which had got through the Word Press filter. And then I spent more time trying to find a way of getting in touch with Google that did not just get an automated response telling me to look at their web pages.

Finally I posted this comment on their Group Discussion on web crawling.

Just discovered that Google has blocked www.xcitybob.com and
www.thedailynovel.com, which are the URLs for my blog, The Daily Novel.
The warning says my blog may harm people’s computers. How can that be
because it has not affected the computers of my wife, children,
friends who read my blog?

The only thing I can think of is that Google is deeming the CONTENT of
my blog ‘malicious’. In some blogs I am highly critical of those who
hold power, including my own university and big companies, though I
cannot remember cannot remember making an attack on Google.

To black stuff like mine is censorship.

But equally obviously if there are things on my site which harms other
computers I would want to remove it immeditately.

So why on earth did Google not simply tell me what it is they think is
harmful in my blog.

Which would have saved me a lot of time this morning trying to find a
way of getting in touch with Google that did not get an automated
response.

Bob Jones

I am not too hopeful of getting anything done, because there seem to be quite a few other people with similar problems posting on the Google discussion group.

But maybe there are some readers who happen on my site who can tell me what is happening, before it is too late.

Because if there is harmful software on my computer, I maybe harming not only myself but my friends and readers too.

If there is not any harmful software on my computer, then Google is doing me considerable harm. I checked Yahoo this morning and they seem to think I am clean.

In cases like this Google should provide the evidence before they use their power to harm others.

Journalism and blogging may not be enough to get them to change their behaviour. So I hope those with similar experiences will get in touch with me.

 Maybe we can get together and consult our learned friends.