Google Tracks Hydrogen Peroxide Terrorists?

This isn’t breaking news in the business or financial sense, but it is, as far as anybody seems to know, new.  So here we go: British police have put a sponsored link in Google’s search results, and that ad connects hydrogen peroxide and the anti-terrorist hotline.  Confused?  So are the rest of us.

Google Tracks Hydrogen Peroxide Terrorists? The ad merely says, “Hydrogen Peroxide,” links to an official police site, and continues, “If you’ve seen something suspicious Call the Anti-terrorist Hotline.”  There are screenshots aplenty to prove that it’s real, and I’ve just verified it for myself at Google UK (using the search term “hydrogen peroxide,” of course).

Now, strong concentrations of hydrogen peroxide can be used to fashion explosives, so there is a connection.  But as “Pete” posted on GADOOD.com, “the Police here in the UK were advertising on Adwords basically asking for extremist Muslims who may be searching for hydrogen peroxide to snitch on their fellow plotters, or anyone in the hydrogen peroxide ‘industry’, I assume.”

Pete goes on to add, “I’d say click the advert a few times for shits and giggles, but it’d only come out of our pockets as UK tax payers.”  Indeed, I could see one of those “Fleecing of America” pieces being based on the ad, although the series would obviously need to be re-titled.

I suppose there’s not much else to say about this, but even if it’s just some sort of isolated oddity, Google’s reach is definitely growing.  Hat tip to Barry Schwartz.