I’m not sure if this is considered against the rules (if so, please delete the link and its references), but I see this as a serious problem:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe … cess+waltz
When I search on the terms “Princess Waltz”, Google should NOT suggest that “torrent” be added to the search parameters.
On an unrelated note, I find it hilarious that Narg’s review is the top hit. :mrgreen:
I’ve noticed this problem for some time as well. As I understand it, a large part of the problem lies in the technology that Google uses that makes it so effect. Essentially (as I understand it), the base technology behind the Google search engine’s power lies in crawling through the web and looking for links to a site. A link is seen as a vote of confidence, though it is probably more accurate to think of it as being a popularity point. The more votes/points a site has, the higher the rank of the page. Thus, Google can be seen as both being a symptom and an exacerbating factor. It is a symptom because the page wouldn’t be ranked so high if it weren’t being linked to by pirates, and it is an exacerbating factor in that the more well known the page is, the more readily someone can find and obtain a pirated program. It is a bit of a vicious circle since pirates who like what they get will suggest it to fellow pirates and provide links, which provides more points for the page.
I don’t have a problem that a search on the game title yields pirate hits, or even that they rank high in the results; like you said, that’s just how search engines work. The problem I have is when Google suggests you add “torrent” to the search. That not only calls undue attention to the fact that illegal downloads exists, but it narrows the search down so that ALL you get is illegitimate results–and in probably the most efficient way possible. In addition, the suggested search you didn’t ask for yields 3 results which block all the legitimate results off the first viewing screen (what you see without having to scroll down).
There’s no other way to look at it: this is poison to the localization market. There’s no doubt in my mind that most potential customers will be introduced to these games via the Internet, yet the main avenue for getting at the legitimate distribution sites (Google and other search engines) is instead specifically directing curious webgoers to pirate sites. I’m in no way in favor of censoring search engines or the Internet at large, but this is just going too far. This isn’t just passively facilitating piracy. It’s actively promoting it. This is the kind of blatant search engine favoritism you’d expect for advertisers that pay to have their sites listed in the top results.
I completely understand where you are coming from, and I don’t like it any more than you do, but again, this is a case of the search engine not being “smart”. The search engine is simply giving you a suggestion based on popularity. In this case, the points are based on what other people have searched instead of links on sites. It is another case of a negative feedback loop (AKA vicious circle); once torrents for a game were searched enough, it started being “helpful” and tries to give people a suggestion that may aid in finding what they want.
This must be a relatively new feature of Google. In the past I’ve seen Google suggest search terms as you type and unobtrusively list similar searches. This new feature is much more aggressive however. I see it only happens with some searches; I don’t see a similar stratification of results when I search on the term “Google” for example. I don’t even see it when I search on other H-games. Disconcertingly, I guess that shows just how popular the game is–among pirates.
It always depresses me how, when Google searching for some CrunchyRoll-licensed anime simulcasts, it gives links to piracy/“fansub” sites before the official legal CrunchyRoll page for the anime. Similar issue…Google is just an algorithm, it makes no moral decisions.
Although, if an industrious person really wanted to, this could be fixed with Google manipulation.
Yea, they do go in and tweak the code in ways that makes is so its not just the links, but a bit more complex.
However, putting the official site above the pirate site could be seen as starting down a slippery slope of favoring businesses over what they majority genuinely want (determined by how much the site is linked to).
That already happens anyway. It’s just that they’re called “sponsored links” and the companies in question have to pay for it. In fact, the official site is now in the top 3 hits, which somewhat alleviates my original indignation. All I’m asking for is that search results for similar searches with illegal-sounding terms not be automatically displayed. Suggesting the illegal search terms is fine, but automatically displaying results for the search on illegal terms is not. In this case, listing search results after “See results for: princess waltz torrent” is not fine. The user should have to click on the illegal suggestion to add it to his search.