Here’s what I came across this morning. I was doing a search on the Acer Aspire 5610z and googled the model # and received a Google Error. Huh? That’s right it was a “403 Forbidden” error. Quick test shows the same results in IE and Firefox. Here’s what the page said:

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.

We’ll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software.

If you’re continually receiving this error, you may be able to resolve the problem by deleting your Google cookie and revisiting Google. For browser-specific instructions, please consult your browser’s online support center.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we’ll see you again on Google.

Then it asks for you to key in some text so that it knows your not a robot. Apparently this is how Google responds to spam queries. After an initial freak out, and a quick google search on the error, all looks good. No more 403’s yet, but I’m keeping an eye on it.

BTW, the Acer Aspire 5610z search came up with some interesting results. . . .

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