Google takes 'BitTorrent' off its piracy search filter

Google has unclenched its jaw and blinked, un-banning BitTorrent from its auto-complete feature. The Internet giant’s search engine will now suggest BitTorrent even as you start to type the first few letters into it. This change has taken place over two years after the ban on the service was first placed on auto-complete by Google.

Besides BitTorrent, Google had black listed a few other piracy related terms from popping up on its auto-complete and instant features, including the likes of “uTorrent” and “The Pirate Bay”. Essentially, you can still search for these services, but Google will play no part in helping you find them by prompting and suggesting these to you. This seems to have changed, at least partly.

Google will prompt you to select BitTorrent

Google has a huge list of words, terms and names of services that it blocks on account of them being related to piracy, but the contents of the list are not public. It has been noticed, though, that certain terms like The Pirate Bay and Rapidshare amongst others have seen a decline in searches made over time. BitTorrent and uTorrent had both been a part of the list from the beginning.

While Google did not officially announce that these words had been taken off the piracy blacklist, it was discovered that Google’s auto-complete feature was starting to prompt the term “BitTorrent” when the first few letters were entered. In response, BitTorrent started massive campaigns to try and reinforce the fact that it was not associated with piracy.

There seems to be another reason for the service being taken off the blacklist. “This is almost certainly a result of that improving understanding helped by products like BitTorrent Bundle and BitTorrent Sync. They help those who are confused about BitTorrent understand that it is not a piracy website,” said a BitTorrent Inc. Spokesperson to TorrentFreak.

While this seems to be the first time Google has taken a term off its filter, TorrentFreak notes that Megaupload is still on it despite the fact that the website went offline two years ago. Terms like Rapidshare and isoHunt still do not return any results. Last we heard, Google had added Grooveshark to its blacklist, but did not specify any reasons for it.