8chan-hosted content disappears from Google searches [Updated]

Updated, August 17 @ 12:40 EDT (17:40 BST): Since our story published, Google updated search results for "8ch.net" and "site:8ch.net" with the original abundance of direct links to 8chan's many subsites. As of press time, these haven't been filtered for egregious content; for example, the first page of results for one search included the terrifying-sounding "necrozoophilia." Searches for less direct terms like "8chan" only bring up indirect links, as per the original report, and all affiliated searches still contain a warning about child abuse content. Google representatives have yet to respond to our original request for comment.

Original story

Google appears to have taken an unprecedented step in filtering its search results by banning an entire domain—and adding a warning about "suspected child abuse content" to a search for the domain itself. Ars Technica has been unable to determine exactly when the change went into effect, but Imgur posts as early as this Wednesday pointed to a Google-wide ban of the imageboard site 8chan.

As of press time, cursory attempts to find Google search results with content hosted at that site came up empty; searches for specific pages, or for sites containing terms 8chan, 8ch, or 8ch.net, only brought up related sites such as 8chan's official Twitter account. In the case of a search for the domain directly, or for more targeted terms, the brief page of results would end in the aforementioned warning.