Google pulls co.cc subdomains from search, brings our global malware nightmare to an end

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/10/google-pulls-co-cc-subdomains-from-search-brings-our-global-mal/

Google's been on a creative tear lately, rolling out new products and revamping older ones. But there's a reason the phrase "search giant" is synonymous with Big G, and it's always working to return better results. Sometimes that means tweaking its algorithm to prevent SEO-gaming; other times it means dropping over 11 million sites from search results, as the company just did in blocking the .co.cc subdomain. Google classifies it as a "freehost" -- it belongs to a Korean company that provides free or cheap domains, often bulk-registered -- and after automated scanning revealed a high percentage of malware-hosting sites, decided to scrub the entire lot from its results. Of course, this is something like using a nuclear weapon against cockroaches: it causes a lot of collateral damage, while your real target scurries to its next hideout. Still, we wish Google well in its bravely quixotic mission.

Google pulls co.cc subdomains from search, brings our global malware nightmare to an end originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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