According to Computerworld Google started inserting the parameter "gs_rfai" into search queries. Apparently Chinese filters objected to the substring "rfa" which is also an abbreviation for "Radio Free Asia".
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174425/Google_s_own_glitch_causes_blockage_in_China_
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If the substring "rfa" is blocked from URL parameters, isn't that going to block searches for airfare, butterfat, colorfast, interface, parfait, surface, warfare and waterfalls? |
![[put at-character here]](image/at.gif) Roger
I do not know. Maybe they white list dictionary words.
I do remember a similar issue with MSN instant messanger.
http://www.scroogle.org/scget.html
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As far as I know, they adopt the utmost principle of "safety" above all and don't care if it is parfait, surface, warfare or waterfalls...they just block all... Occasionally, they will add those "common wordings" to their so-called white list if they happens to find such a mistake and happens to have the right mood to add it. |
yes,if you turn off the search suggestion,It'll work again. |
It now works for me again, even though I had the gs_rfai turned on (I now disabled search suggestions though just in case). Google's service availability page reads:
<<Many users in mainland China had trouble accessing Web Search, Google News and Google Images on .com.hk today. As we were investigating and before we made any modifications to our services, service availability began to improve. Within several hours, normal service was restored in mainland China for these properties without any changes introduced by Google.
We will continue to monitor the situation, but for the time being this issue seems to be resolved.>> |
Added an update containing this bit: <<Financial Times first quoted Google saying it was due to a "gs_rfai" parameter in Google's results URL – however, Google later said that "Having looked into this issue in more detail, it’s clear we actually added this parameter a week ago. So whatever happened today to block Google.com.hk must have been as a result of a change in the great firewall.>>
http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2010/03/google-shoots-itself-in-the-foot-in-china/ |
