Comments on: Google restores Xenu.net's webpages back into its index.

Google restores Xenu.net's webpages back into its index.

skallas — Thu, 21 Mar 2002 23:35:22 -0800

Google restores Xenu.net's webpages back into its index. It looks like this was all started by Scientologists armed with the DMCA which makes an ISP liable for not only its content (cache) but also to where it links! Considering xenu.net is overseas and not subject to US law, this looked like a very easy way for the CoS to silence its critics. In the meantime anti-CoS geeks are buying up adwords on google to celebrate. [google search using just the word Scientology] Refresh a couple time to see the ads.

By: beth

beth — Thu, 21 Mar 2002 23:51:35 -0800

Yikes. I've often wondered why Google hasn't become a bigger legal target due to its cache. Here's hoping that jerks like the Scientologists don't cripple Google with lawsuits. (My sister is married to Google's head lawyer, maybe I should prod him for comments on this).

By: mathowie

mathowie — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 00:01:22 -0800

Some are reporting the relisting isn't the full relisting, and is just the homepage URL for xenu.net.

By: Keen

Keen — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 03:31:00 -0800

Heheh, thats pretty nifty about the anti scientology people buying text ads. I refreshed a couple of times and each time got 2 links to that clambake site...

By: Outlawyr

Outlawyr — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 05:51:22 -0800

I would suggest not reloading the page, or the only people who will see the ads are Mefi people, rather than the intended audience.

By: thewittyname

thewittyname — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 07:38:51 -0800

I'm not seeing any text ads....weird. Is this happening to anyone else?

By: maudlin

maudlin — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 07:43:03 -0800

Well, the news of the ads was posted here, at kuro5hin and at Slashdot. Before we get completely paranoid, perhaps we should consider that all the geeks rushing to see them used up the exposures when they searched "scientology". That said, maybe Google did pull them in response to a complaint from CoS. I hope not.

By: skallas

skallas — Fri, 22 Mar 2002 14:55:07 -0800

Naww, those ads were going to be dead in 24 hours regardless. Google has two kinds of adwords, one that charges you on impressions and another on click-throughs. You could probably write an ad that says something like this:

Operation Clambake Blah Blah Scientology Type Xenu.net into your browser fake url Xenu.net

Google might have a problem with that though.