The unfortunate death of pop icon Michael Jackson had a knock on effect that gave cause for concern for Google, as Google has confirmed that the hugs serge in searches on Google News concerning Michael Jackson caused them to think it was an attack on their service.

Google News became inaccessible for some Thursday afternoon as rumour of Jackson’s death circulated, and Google News was replaced by a message which stated… “We’re sorry, but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can’t process your request right now.”

Millions around the world queried Google News searching for accurate info regarding Jackson’s condition when it was reported he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

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Tags: Google