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: Rick Santorum Wants Google to Remove Sexual Links to His Name

hugh
2011-09-26, 01:12 PM
This is amusing.

Back in 2003, Santorum -- then a U.S. senator from Pennsylvania -- compared gay sex to pedophilia and bestiality. Dan Savage, a popular author and sex columnist who is gay, responded by Google-bombing the senator's last name. (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/219373/20110924/santorum-google-savage-results-censor-republican.htm)

Savage solicited definitions from readers and made "santorum" a sexually explicit neologism (Google it, but not at work). Now, the first two results when people Google "Santorum" are Savage's page with the coined definition and a Wikipedia page about the prank. Santorum's actual Wikipedia entry is the third link down, and his campaign Web site is all the way at the bottom of the search page.


The link at Google.ca is actually about 4th down.

If you're interested but the Rick Santorum (http://spreadingsantorum.com/) link is NSFW!
hugh
2011-09-26, 01:15 PM
FYI, this thread is about Google Bombing and a recent instance of it.

Because he is a politician, Please do not think that this invites a political discussion!
Dioneo
2011-09-27, 10:13 AM
Every time he squawks about this, all the stories it generates help to sustain the current search rankings. Not that I'd expect someone like Santorum to grasp that concept.
james99
2011-09-27, 10:16 AM
I assume he wanted Google to obey his command without anybody finding out. Now, his plan has backfired.
Francois Caron
2011-09-28, 07:46 AM
The Streisand Effect strikes again! :p
jayoldschool
2011-09-28, 09:34 AM
I have to admit, I had no idea who this guy was until Savage wrote about him. To this day, every time I hear "Santorum", I think about Savage's definition. Yuck.
Neild
2011-09-28, 03:23 PM
I'm opposed to google rigging their system to alter this.

The interesting thing is that the power to 'fix' this is in completely in Santorum's own hands.

If he were to genuinely renounce his hateful statements and reverse his position on the subject, I could see that becoming a more significant story over the years.

And if he did demonstrate years of reformed behavior, I'm sure the people and associated web activity that keeps his definition so prominent would change, and thus top search hits about him would also change.