Monday, Nov 24, 2008    Text size: 

On Nov. 20, Google unveiled new features to its standard search results that echoed the functionality of popular websites like Digg, Reddit and Delicious. Users logged into their Google accounts would see a small commenting field and up-vote and down-vote icons next to all search results.

Google software engineer Corin Anderson said that the new features are intended to help Google users rank and organize their search results.

"With just a single click you can move the results you like to the top or add a new site," Anderson said. "You can also write notes attached to a particular site and remove results that you don't feel belong."

But days after its launch, users were already encountering porn spam in the comment fields for search results. Google removed the features soon afterward.

But the features are back as of today. Google has yet to comment publicly on the problems, but a few simple searches returned no spam of any kind.

All the same, some online analysts have criticized Google for adding the new features without offering users an opt-out button on their Google profiles. Some software engineers have even gone so far as to jury rig a solution that will remove the features. Web surfers who aren't daring enough to try the do-it-yourself option can opt out of the features only by logging out of their Google profiles before using search.

Harvard University's Dave Weinberger called these new features obnoxious while also saying that they can potentially violate someone's privacy.

"The results page shows users the nicknames of others users who have voted a page up," said Weinberger, a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. "So, now the whole world will see that 'dweinberger' not only searched for 'Angelina Jolie' but thumbs-upped the page of closeups of her tattoos? Guess who just changed his nickname to something less identifiable?"

In other Google-related news, Gmail users can now change the look and feel of their Gmail pages. The new page themes can be accessed in Gmail settings.