Google blocks firearms/accessories/ammo

[RCCrawler]

This is crazy, the biggest search engine on the web now blocking all firearms, accessories, and ammo from the google shopping system.

This is crazy, I can't imagine how bad this is going to hurt online retailers.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/06/28/google-shopping-to-censor-all-gun-ammo-accessories-results/

[ghettodub]

Bullshit... I like google too...ugh...

[asmo]

Been that way for a long time just kinda behind the scenes. For example under AdSense rules you could not display AdSense ads on any page relating to Guns, Firearms or Munitions.

[J]

Damn. I used to use that to compare prices on parts for AR builds.

[lifeon2]

Bing seems pretty good.

[Rucker61]

This is crazy, the biggest search engine on the web now blocking all firearms, accessories, and ammo from the google shopping system.

This is crazy, I can't imagine how bad this is going to hurt online retailers.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/06/28/google-shopping-to-censor-all-gun-ammo-accessories-results/

I wondered what the hell was happening to my searches. Goodbye, Google asshats. Suipport censorship in China, prevent legal sales searches here. Get bent.

[Ah Pook]

I have never had a problem searching firearm info on Google. Although I use Google less and less because of all the useless links that come up on top.

With all the other idiocy, on the web, they pick firearms to censor? [Roll1]

[spleify]

Wow that sucks

So what should we all use now?

[palepainter]

I went with Start Page

www.startpage.com


I also got rid of my google email account.

[splogan]

that startpage.com says enhanced by google

[Danimal]

Damn, I just started liking google chrome. Not supporting google anymore if this is the case.

[mcantar18c]

Is Bing any good?

[lifeon2]

I have been playing on bing for a bit this morning and I think it is actually a little better than google.

[onebadfx4]

I'm sure Obama is behind this too. LOL

[whichfinger]

Note this applies only to Google Shopping. A regular search in Google will still show results. Not that it's okay, but there it is.

[Steps]

StartPage is enhanced by google, however, if you read their statement, which explains how, you will like it.

Here you go....

Startpage offers you Web search results from Google in complete privacy!
When you search with Startpage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google ourselves. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy.

Your IP address is never recorded, your visit is not logged, and no tracking cookies are placed on your browser. When it comes to protecting your privacy, Startpage runs the tightest ship on the Internet. Our outstanding privacy policy and thoughtful engineering give you great search results in total anonymity. Here are some of our key features:

Free proxy surfing available.
Praised by privacy experts worldwide.
Twelve-year company track record.
Third-party certified.


No IP address recorded.
No record is made of your searches.
No identifying or tracking cookies used.
Powerful SSL encryption available.

[sniper7]

one more company that I will try to make sure doesn't get my money. oh well.

[Chad4000]

one more company that I will try to make sure doesn't get my money. oh well.


I know...

imagine how much money a company would make if they actually endorsed constituationally given rights...

[palepainter]

StartPage is enhanced by google, however, if you read their statement, which explains how, you will like it.

Here you go....

Startpage offers you Web search results from Google in complete privacy!
When you search with Startpage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google ourselves. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy.

Your IP address is never recorded, your visit is not logged, and no tracking cookies are placed on your browser. When it comes to protecting your privacy, Startpage runs the tightest ship on the Internet. Our outstanding privacy policy and thoughtful engineering give you great search results in total anonymity. Here are some of our key features:

Free proxy surfing available.
Praised by privacy experts worldwide.
Twelve-year company track record.
Third-party certified.



No IP address recorded.
No record is made of your searches.
No identifying or tracking cookies used.
Powerful SSL encryption available.



Thanks for posting that stuff. I was concerned at first until I got to all of this as well.

[clublights]

StartPage is enhanced by google, however, if you read their statement, which explains how, you will like it.

Here you go....

Startpage offers you Web search results from Google in complete privacy!
When you search with Startpage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google ourselves. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy.

Your IP address is never recorded, your visit is not logged, and no tracking cookies are placed on your browser. When it comes to protecting your privacy, Startpage runs the tightest ship on the Internet. Our outstanding privacy policy and thoughtful engineering give you great search results in total anonymity. Here are some of our key features:

Free proxy surfing available.
Praised by privacy experts worldwide.
Twelve-year company track record.
Third-party certified.


No IP address recorded.
No record is made of your searches.
No identifying or tracking cookies used.
Powerful SSL encryption available.


this does NOT fix the issue however.

if google is not spitting back results your not going to get them no matter how private it makes you.


I've switched my browser and iPhone to bing now which makes me sad as bing is a microsoft product ( I try to avoid those personally) but I'd rather be sad then pissed off like google has made me ,.

[Rucker61]

I've switched my browser and iPhone to bing now which makes me sad as bing is a microsoft product ( I try to avoid those personally) but I'd rather be sad then pissed off like google has made me ,.

You don't use Safari on your iPhone?

[Ah Pook]

Does anyone have access to the new shopping restrictions? The link in the article is bad.

[Steps]

Thanks for posting that stuff. I was concerned at first until I got to all of this as well.

No problem at all.


this does NOT fix the issue however.

if google is not spitting back results your not going to get them no matter how private it makes you.


I've switched my browser and iPhone to bing now which makes me sad as bing is a microsoft product ( I try to avoid those personally) but I'd rather be sad then pissed off like google has made me ,.

I understand that 100%. What it DOES do is offer everyone the ability to use Google and stick their middle finger up at the same time because they cannot track what you are doing.

While I use sites such as Bing, for these reasons, it is still fun to use this tool to stick it to Google. If millions of people did it they would stop their antics and leave us alone!

[Rucker61]

Does anyone have access to the new shopping restrictions? The link in the article is bad.


<H2 class=answer-title>Google Shopping Policies </H2>

Please choose the feed specification of your target country from the drop-down menu below. The content will be specific to the target country that you select. AustraliaBrazilChinaCzech RepublicFranceGermanyItalyJapanNetherlandsOtherSpa inSwitzerlandUnited KingdomUSA

Our goal is to help users find merchants that offer excellent shopping experiences. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to suspend temporarily or permanently the accounts of merchants that we believe may not meet commonly accepted minimum standards for customer service and/or business practices.
Failure to adhere to the following policies will result in your account being suspended or disabled.
IMPORTANT: All products submitted to Google Shopping must adhere to Google AdWords policies (http://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/bin/answer.py?answer=1316548)
Review the AdWords policies carefully and ensure your products comply to them.
In addition to the Google AdWords policies, the following Google Shopping policies apply:
Your links, website and landing pages
<H4>Links


The URLs in your data feed must link directly to landing pages about your products.
Website


You must maintain the website associated with your account at all times in working order.
You must verify and claim your website URL before being able to upload and publish product data. Learn more on how to verify your website. (http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=176793)
Any certificates that are listed on your website must be valid.
You must ensure that the user-agent 'googlebot' is not being blocked from crawling your website or product pages. Learn more about common product crawl issues (http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=1067254).
Landing pages


Your landing pages must be webpages, your URLs can't link to files or email addresses.
Your landing pages may not have pop-ups and must not redirect to other pages, such as pages requiring sign-ups or passwords.
It must be straightforward for a user to find the product he or she is looking for when they arrive on a landing page, especially when there are multiple items on one landing page. As a rule of thumb, do not put more than five items on one page. It is allowed to include all variations of a product on the same landing page, as well as to show similar or related items, as long as it is clear to the user which product he or she is looking for.
Data provided about your items -- in particular, images, prices and availability -- has to be clearly visible to users on landing pages.
Payments


Your website must provide a way for users to purchase the product online through either a payment service or directly from your website. Payment and transaction processing, as well as processing of any personal information of the user (such as the address) must be secure (SSL-protected, with a valid SSL certificate).


Your product data
In order to provide users a high-quality shopping experience, the product data provided to Google needs to accurately describe your items, and has to reflect the current status of the products on your website at all times. Learn more on how to provide high-quality product data. (http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=188489)
We will periodically check your products to ensure the accuracy of your product data. If your product data doesn’t meet our quality standards, your products will be suspended from Google Shopping until the issues have been addressed. Learn more about data quality enforcement and suspensions (http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=1678274).
Titles and descriptions


Use standard spelling and grammar. Avoid any repeated, unnecessary or excessive use of punctuation, capitalization or symbols. Don't use exclamation points in your product titles unless the official product title contains them. The use of symbols, numbers, and letters have to adhere to the true meaning of the symbol.

The only exception to excessive capitalization is if your company name is written in all capital letters. In such a case it is permissible to submit your company name in all capital letters, i.e. "ACME"

Avoid offensive or inappropriate language.
Promotional or boilerplate text may not be included in your store name and product data. All data needs to be a clear and direct description of the submitted product. Text related to shopping or store policies is not allowed. For example, "Free shipping" is not allowed.
Your images may not contain promotional messages of any kind, including watermarks or promotional text. You are not allowed to submit image links to logo images or other generic images.
Prices


The price on the landing page has to be equal to the price on Google Shopping. It has to be straightforward for the user to find the right item and price.
For products sold in bulk quantities, you must submit the total price for the minimum number of items sold. This price has to be the most prominent price on the landing page.
Products must be displayed in and sold in USD. If your products are available in multiple currencies on your landing pages, USD has to be selected by default.
If you are selling or shipping the product from another country, you must ensure that the buyer does not incur any extra charges or fees other than the actual price of the product and shipping charge.
You may not submit any items with variable prices, such as in auctions. All products must be sold at fixed prices.
Free products are not allowed. (Note:the only exception are mobile devices bundled with a service plan).
Tax


The prices of the items submitted in your data feed and the prices displayed on your landing pages must not include any tax. Instead, please provide the tax information either at the account level or under the 'tax' attribute. Learn more about our tax and shipping requirements.
Shipping


You must only provide direct-to-consumer shipping rates. Rates for other methods, like ship-to-store delivery, are not allowed.
Your products must be shippable throughout the US.
If you ship from outside the US:

You need to provide the shipping information (country, region, service, price) applicable to the target country. The shipping price must be the one that the customer will pay when buying the item from the target country.
Your shop must cover all customs fees. The customs fees shouldn't be charged separately to the customer.

Duplicate and borrowed content


You may only submit one listing per item, no matter if you own multiple websites.
If you have one product that is compatible with multiple systems (such as a memory card, a printer cartridge or car parts), you may only submit the item once.
Submitting borrowed content from websites that are not your own is not permitted. This includes image links from sites that you do not own or do not have explicit permission to link to.


Family status
Google assigns a family status (http://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/bin/answer.py?answer=69787) to all products to make sure that content is shown to an appropriate audience. All products must be "family safe". All products in the "non-family safe" or "adult" categories are not allowed on Google Shopping.
For example, the following products are non-family safe or adult:

Adult sexual products and content (including product images and/or landing pages containing nudity or adult sexual content)
Alcohol


Unacceptable product categories
Affiliates, cataloged drop-shipping programs, and multi-level marketing

The promotion of affiliate or pay-per-click links, products sold through a commission-based relationship, or sites that bulk list products fulfilled through drop-ship consolidators is not allowed. This includes item pages that are made up almost entirely of advertisements, or pages where advertisements obstruct the view of the submitted product. The promotion of multi-level marketing (MLM) business products is also not permitted, such as businesses that recruit members and offer them rewards for recruiting others and/or selling services
Services

Services are not allowed on Google Shopping.
Examples of listings disallowed:

Event tickets
Subscriptions, such as magazine subscriptions or any kind of service subscription.
Online courses
Other prohibited categories





</H4>The following products are not allowed on Google Shopping:

Vehicles
Guns, ammunition and knives
Tobacco and cigarettes
Traffic devices (Learn more (http://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/bin/answer.py?answer=176040))
Products related to casino and gambling
Products or digital goods that require additional software installation in order to be purchased.
Products bundled with service plans. (Note: The only products that are allowed to be submitted with a service plan are mobile devices.)

[lifeon2]

Family status
Google assigns a family status to all products to make sure that content is shown to an appropriate audience. All products must be "family safe". All products in the "non-family safe" or "adult" categories are not allowed on Google Shopping.
For example, the following products are non-family safe or adult:
Adult sexual products and content (including product images and/or landing pages containing nudity or adult sexual content)
Alcohol

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=personal+massager&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1600&bih=799&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=8083526196572642568&sa=X&ei=ccLsT4ScFdKCrQHp8KS-BQ&ved=0CIQBEPMCMAM

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=beer+making&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1811892063096479849&sa=X&ei=wMLsT5GeJ8W8qQHZ7fDyBQ&ved=0CGkQ8wIwAQ

Lyin bastiges.

[Ah Pook]

words words blah blah words...
Thanks Rucker. [Awesom] I found a working link also.

http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=188484#US

Wow, all legal products and pastimes.

Who wants to protest at the corporate offices in Boulder?
[Walk][Walk][Walk][Walk]
[Walk][Walk][Walk][Walk]
[Walk][Walk][Walk][Walk]

[Blockhead]

This sucks. I always used Google Shopping to compare prices on firearms.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...ories-results/ (http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/06/28/google-shopping-to-censor-all-gun-ammo-accessories-results/)

[00tec]

Repost

[Blockhead]

Is Bing any good?

Just tried Bing and it worked! Hello Microsoft, you have a new friend.

[waxthis]

I have no issues at all looking for ammo or such with google...Hmmm

[gcrookston]

I've never been all that impressed with Google shopping, preferring amazon for everyday stuff.

For gunning, I mostly use these three (in order of most used):

http://gun-deals.com

http://www.shopzilla.com/hunting-archery-equipment/firearms/12150125/products

http://www.gunspec.com/

[blacklabel]

I use Google for damn near everything. Changing to another service would be a major pain in the ass. As far as Google Shopper goes, that whole service blows. Amazon is a much better Site when looking for the best deals.

[Clay Turner]

From thefirearmblog.com: Google sent out an email to Google Adwords customers saying that they are going to pull all Google Shopping results for guns, ammunition, gun optics and gun accessories (Shopping results, not general search results).

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/06/28/google-shopping-to-censor-all-gun-ammo-accessories-results/

[waxthis]

I have no issues at all looking for ammo or such with google...Hmmm


Ahhhh..."Google Shopper" Got it, never tried it.

[ghettodub]

http://www.ar-15.co/forums/showthread.php?t=55623

[Clay Turner]

Oops! Sorry, RCCrawler ... didn't mean to step on your thread.

[gcrookston]

Ahhhh..."Google Shopper" Got it, never tried it.


You haven't missed much

[brutal]

I have no issues at all looking for ammo or such with google...Hmmm

Google SHOPPING results. Seems hit or miss on ammo.

[hammer03]

Bullshit... I like google too...ugh...

ditto.


TTAG recommended http://www.gunspec.com/

[rockhound]

I am on my phone so posting the link is hard, maybe someone can help
Just read on drudge that google will no longer accept firearms or ammunition, optics etc to be sold on their shopping and adwords systems

[00tec]

3rd time its been posted.

[kuench]

Oh Really?

[stevelkinevil]

heres a petition someone started, only has about 10% of the needed sigs.

https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/tell-google-not-to-interfere-with-our-2nd-amendment-rights-retain-your-current-policy-concerning-weapons#share

[MrPrena]

Not a fan of google.
http://www.ar-15.co/forums/showpost.php?p=154618&postcount=7

I've been using yhoo since 1995.

[rockhound]

3rd time its been posted.


i guess i am not an original