Google Mistook Jackson Searches For Net Attack

Slatterz writes "Web giant Google has admitted it thought the sudden spike in searches for Michael Jackson on Thursday was a massive, coordinated internet attack, leading it to post an error page on Google News. The company's director of product management, RJ Pittman, explained that search volume began to increase around 2pm PDT on Thursday and 'skyrocketed' by 3pm, finally stabilising at around 8pm. According to Pittman, last week also saw one of the largest mobile search spikes ever seen, with 5 of the top 20 searches about Jackson. Google wasn't the only site caught out by the extraordinary events. The Los Angeles Times web site also crashed soon after it broke the news of Jackson's death."

Comments

Re:I wonder

[basil64]

I think you are correct, it would have a much less public appeal. Remember the masses are, by definition, idiots. I fear that a nuclear attack would have a similar mass interest as a US senate vote on farm subsidies (unless a really major celebrity was, in fact, caught in the nuclear conflagration...)

Dangerous Pattern

[Tablizer]

All a foreign gov't has to do is to kill a few big-name celebrities via snipers or poison, and our infrastructure is crippled.

Poor boys will have to find Priests now ...

[GISGEOLOGYGEEK]

Now that Micheal's gone, I guess it's just Walmart that has little boy's pants half off.

cus.gus@hotmail.com

Re:I wonder

[Dishevel]

Very few people were actually "Affected" by the Pedo Thrillers death. People make themselves over emotionally attached to celebrities so they can feel like they matter. Fucking Losers! If those people searched for things that "affected" them they might do searches on political leaders and current and proposed laws. Nope. That shit is not important and dose not affect these fuckers. They are sheep sitting in front of a fucking T.V. waiting to be sheared of their excess dollars by advertisers and politicians.