Google's unholy alliance with Firefox. Not being evil? My ass

[Clinton]

I've got a site that I've taken great care to keep out of the clutches of Google - from the privacy WHOIS to not putting any Google Adsense/Analytics or other code to not even visiting the site from my IP.

Googlebot was allowed to crawl (my mistake for not blocking earlier) but cache was blocked. The site wants nothing to do with Google and I don't care if it doesn't get a single damn visitor from the SERPs. Ever. I don't want to give Google any data about this site, the owner or anything else.

Google has other plans and their unholy deal with Firefox means that they can twist my arm to get me to disclose that data! That's really p*ssed me off today.

My site got hacked. No big deal. It was expected. I took the security down to see who'd try to overwrite my files and what they'd try to do. I logged everything that happened. Game over, dodgy code deleted and the site was back to normal within minutes.

But, guess what! During those few minutes the site was down the G bot crawled and found the hacked code. As of then anybody using Firefox (the bulk of my visitors) can't access the site - they get a Google error message. A Google message! It doesn't matter whether they're coming from their own bookmarks or another site of mine - they get the Google warning message:

Reported Attack Site!

This web site at mysitename.com has been reported as an attack site and has been blocked based on your security preferences.

Attack sites try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system.

Some attack sites intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners.

What the hell does this have to do with Google?!

Google has a procedure where you can get them to review the site and get the warning removed. But you can't just tick a box somewhere - you have to sign up to webmaster tools, give Google your email address and add a Google meta tag to the site! What freaking nonsense! I've gone to great trouble so far to not give Google all that info.

And why should I? No seriously. Why should I have to approach Google just so my regular visitors can continue visiting me?

Didn't mean to rant for so long but this has really annoyed me today.

[benitez17]

Their goal is to make all information available, and position themselves as the conduit to that information (which also means they would get to decide what information should be available, what should be blocked, what is quality content, and what content should be placed in a black hole). Of course, they don't want this policy to apply to themselves, but they seem to believe it should be good for everyone else to allow Google to have access to all the data on Earth.

Basically, if you want their help (even though what you need them to do is fix their own mistake), you have to give them something they want, which is information about you and the ability to collect as much information about you as possible in the future.

I don't want to this post to sound like an anti-Google rant, because they dominate search for a good reason and are just looking for ways to expand their business as any corporation would, but I feel like they overstep their bounds on a regular basis and provide no apologies or assistance to the sites they harm, plus they are highly hypocritical in my opinion.

[Andy]

Hi Clinton,

No G-love here. I started out a big fan but after several slaps and some really awful experiences, no more - including a hack with results similar to yours. Yes I use them, but... well, there IS a price to pay isn't there?

Knowledge is power. Think about that when asking why. I won't get into any "conspiracy theories". I'm sure the theories are out there but I'm not privy to them. However there exists some 1984ish fiction that comes quite close to home.

Look at their stock price. I heard at least one person call them the "best business ever created" or some such poppycocik. Such descriptions are ominous. Okay enough dark speculation.

How realistic is it to become invisible? Even though domain ownership can be masked to an extent, maybe even buried in a black hole of sorts, someone still knows the domain exists. Not all robots respect no follow rules.

I'm not sure there is any way to keep out the bad guys short of a password protected domain.

I do feel your angst though.

Regards,

Andy

[JJMcClure]

I still think that you just happened to fall into a crack in an complex system designed to be as helpful as possible. Overall, would you say that you were a fan of Google or not?

[Clinton]

I'd say I'm neither.

I like some of their products. I admire what they've created and the innovative ideas that come out of the plex. I don't like their disdain for user (my) privacy. And I don't trust them with the large volumes of data they have. They may not have any intentions to use the data in a way that's detrimental to me, but they have the capability and it takes only one bad egg in the organisation ...

If they block users reaching my site from the SERPs, that's fine, it's their SE and they can do whatever they want with it. But, think about this: the majority of the regular members here use Firefox and they could suddenly be completely prevented from reaching this site (even if they're just returning via their bookmarks). Why should I have to beg Google to lift the block and twiddle my thumbs till they humour my request?

I don't like the idea that Google can make this site a derelict ghost-town whenever they feel in the mood. I don't like it that I'm prevented reaching my own site with my browser of choice because some unconnected third party thinks they have the right to block me.

[hooperman]

But, think about this: the majority of the regular members here use Firefox and they could suddenly be completely prevented from reaching this site (even if they're just returning via their bookmarks).

Not too familiar with FF, even though I use it. How could Google block access to a site for a user using this browser?

[Clinton]

Firefox just won't let you in - you'll get that message I quoted in the OP if you try to reach any page on the "attack" site.

[christopheravell]

Well, Google and other big players are more and more becoming the "owners of the web". However, chances are, some of the people on this web-forum are helping that become a reality.

The less we police ourselves the more BIG $ will step in and lobby for policing that fits their agenda. It is happening all the time and the internet is becoming less and less the new land-of-opportunity and becoming more and more the "big money media platform" every day.

There are probably plenty of people on this site (no, I am not accusing YOU) who are making money by "flipping" worthless wordpress sites (no, not all WP sites are worthless - I love WP) or cashing in on affiliate monitized "review sites" *without clearly stating their motivation* or copying other people's successful sites to try and *steal* some of their business... etc...

The reality is, that very few people hold themselves to the high ethical standards they will present themselves as having on an internet forum. When there is good money to be made, easy money, it is easy to make excuses. I cannot say I have not been guilty of insulting my own ethics at one time or another only to realize it later and give myself a good whack across the head!

It is easy to blame companies like Google for their self-serving policing (and they should shoulder some of the blame) but when we are honest with ourselves we have to ask "am I a part of the problem?"... The current culture of "website flipping" is becoming a huge problem, it is paving the bridge to the closed castle gate. Search engines like Google are already starting to implement strategies to eliminate the flux of fly-by-night websites and it is not only affecting the people who buy/sell flipped sites, it is affecting everyone who wants to start their own online business.

So, while we may be hard-pressed to stop Google and other big players from advancing their agenda we can do our part by not building the legs for them to stand on. If not, sooner rather than later, the window of (small $) opportunity on the web is going to close for good. Don't believe me? History proves it happens every time... Only a matter of time. Will it be sooner or later?

[JJMcClure]

No one here is forgetting that Google is a business. Luckily the class of poster on this forum is above the standard of the usual google basher who just has a big brother complex about them.

Google want to be useful because that's why their own users are going to keep coming back, and it drives everything they do. They also claim high ethical standards of behaviour and I'm inclined, at this time, to believe them. If anyone were going to take over the world, I'd rather it was Google than any of the shadowy organisations that could currently be the top contenders on any well informed conspiracy theorists arsenal.

Sometimes unfortunate situations crop up like Clinton's but overall I trust Google and I think they have a great set of products.

[Clinton]

Have been chatting on another forum about this today as someone else has had the same problem - A Google message popping up in Firefox blocking visitors reaching his site. He seems to think that just fixing the hacked content will resolve the problem. But of course it doesn't.

I discover today that
a) the warning screen continues to appear in Firefox 3.x even days after Google has cleared the block. That's because of FF's caching. OK, you and I know how to clear the cache, but the average muppet (web user) following a link from somewhere and landing on the page is not going to go to the trouble.

and
b) it happens in Chrome as well. Duh! I should have seen that coming!

Anyone knows how to disable this "functionality" in Firefox / Chrome?