Date First Published: 27th December 2022
Topic: Cybersecurity
Article Type: Computer Questions & Answers
Difficulty: EasyDifficulty Level: 3/10
Google is the largest search engine and processes over 3 billion searches a day. It has become so popular that there is even a verb 'Google', which means to look something up using the search engine Google. In most situations, Google can be very useful for finding the information that you're looking for, but there are times when it can also work against you. Below are 20 things that we advise you not to Google.
If you are seriously ill, you should go and see a real doctor, not search up your symptoms on Google. There are lots of websites that specialise in this type of content, but most of them are not run by health professionals. Googling the meaning of your symptoms will probably not help you and have the opposite effect. For example, Googling the reason why you are constantly sneezing is more likely to only make you feel more scared than help you. This is because you are very likely to come across results that don't apply to what you've got and they may link things like a common cold to things that are way more serious, like cancer. Overall, you will probably end up mistaking your symptoms for something much worse than they actually are.
There are so many different types of cancer and several types of cancer come with symptoms that are very common for a lot of other harmless conditions. Examples of symptoms are dizziness and nausea, so you might end up mistaking harmless symptoms for cancer and start panicking.
It also seems like so much is linked to cancer. If you Google whether something is linked to cancer, like your favourite food, it is likely that you will find at least one site that links it to cancer, even when there is no scientific evidence. There is lots of misinformation out there and you wouldn't want to give up one of your favourite things just because you Googled whether it was linked to cancer and you saw a site that said it was, so it is best not to Google this.
There are so many different conditions that affect the skin and some of them look very bad. You can find pictures of nearly all of them on Google, but, it's best not to search for it as this type of content can be very disturbing. If you have problems with your skin, we recommend that you see a dermatologist rather than Googling images of skin conditions that you have, which may return some unpleasant results.
Also, avoid Googling tips on how to heal skin conditions as you might find tips that are unsuitable for you or don't apply to your specific skin condition and end up harming your skin even more than healing it.
Tips on how to lose or gain weight is one of the most commonly searched things on Google. Because it is so commonly searched, it is also very overdone and you can find tips on thousands of different websites in the results. If you Google this, you might notice some catchy text in the search results that gives you tips or medications for losing or gaining weight in a short amount of time, such as a few weeks without much effort at all.
However, everyone has a different body and needs a different diet, and Google cannot identify your right diet or body and fully adjust the results for that, so the risk is that you might Google instructions on how to lose or gain weight and end up performing the method the wrong way, which will be harmful to you. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you take advice from a real doctor for tips on how to lose or gain weight and avoid using Google to find this.
You might Google instructions on how to make dangerous weapons that can be used to harm or even kill people, like bombs, or instructions on how to get away with serious crimes, just out of curiosity (not with the intention to harm). However, security and drug control services can track these kinds of searches and your IP address could appear in a database, which could go against you.
We know this is an odd one to put on this list, but it is not uncommon for people to Google it. The truth is that no one knows their life expectancy. No online calculators or quizzes can accurately determine your life expectancy, and they all work in a different way, so using different calculators or quizzes can lead to results that vary quite a lot. Also, you might end up taking the result too seriously and start panicking, especially if it comes with a low result, so we advise you to stay away from this.
You might Google things like 'Where should I invest my money?' or 'How much stock should I invest?', but it is important to note that there are scammers online, the information could be outdated, and not all of the websites are run by professionals. Taking the wrong financial advice can lead to you facing a huge loss and at worst, getting into financial difficulty. This is why it is not a good idea to use Google to find financial advice. Instead, you should seek professional help since finance is a complex topic that could lead to you making poor financial decisions if you believe the outdated or misleading information.
Unless you don't know the URL for your bank's website, you should never use Google to find online banking sites. This is because phishing has increased over the years and scammers create phishing sites with a similar domain name to the real online banking site, so you might find phishing or fake sites in the search results when you are searching for your bank's website. If you provide any sensitive information, like passwords, to that fake site, there is a very high chance of your account getting hacked.
The reason why application stores, such as Microsoft Store and Google Play exist, is that they provide high-end security to those that download software or applications since their content is moderated. If you use Google to find downloads for software programs or applications, there is a chance that you will find sites that spread viruses and malware in the search results. If you download and install it from a website you have never heard of, it might contain malware that harms your computer. People searching on Google for downloads for Windows or Android software programs or applications is one of the most common ways that computers catch viruses and malware.
You should avoid using Google to find customer support numbers as there is a risk of online scams. Instead, you should find the customer support number on the official company's website. Some scammers publish fake numbers and disguise them as customer support numbers for a certain company when they are actually not the real numbers for that company. If you call these numbers and provide any personal information, scammers could get hold of your details to gain unauthorised access to your accounts, take control of your computer, install difficult-to-remove malware onto your computer, and perform other malicious tasks.
The Google search results page is often filled with so many different opinions from lots of different people. If you Google whether a product is safe to use, safe for your skin, or safe to ingest, it is very likely that you will get a 'yes' from some sites, a 'no' from some sites, and a 'maybe' from other sites. If that happens, you might be tempted to go towards the positive side and it may even turn out to be unsafe. It is best to seek professional advice from experts for this sort of thing, not advice from a Google search.
Almost everyone uses digital technology. Some people wonder the effects it can have on the body. However, we advise you to not Google this one in detail. The effects of digital technology on the body is an overdone topic. It is so overdone that you can find information from thousands and thousands of different websites. Since information and advice comes from so many different people, this can make it difficult for you to tell the true and false information apart.
If you Google this one, there is a high chance that you will come across some biased and exaggerated articles from websites not run by professionals. They may link digital technology to some very serious things with no scientific evidence, and at worst, it may even put you off from using digital technology at all.
You've probably seen the process of giving birth in films. It looks like a very disturbing moment. But, the actual process of giving birth is much more disturbing than you have seen in films. It is risky for women to watch and may even put them off from having children at all, so don't even try to Google this.
You've probably heard of these tiny insects and may have even experienced them on your skin. These live on furniture or bedding and can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Just the thought of them in your bed can scare you and you do not want to spend a sleepless night Googling what bedbug infestations look like.
There are some dangerous animals in the world and you may even find that some of them are in your area. Such a list can lead to you developing new phobias and could even cause you to avoid travelling, so avoid Googling lists of dangerous animals.
Discriminatory organisations promote hostility or hate towards a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation. The history of these types of organisations can be very disturbing and reading about it can even trigger a 'downward spiral', so it is best not to Google this.
There is an important reason why you should refrain from Googling the causes of neurodevelopmental disabilities. The exact causes of most neurodevelopmental disabilities are not clear. If you Google this, you are very likely to find results that say all sorts of things. Some sites may say it is caused by a certain thing, some sites may say it is not caused by that, and other sites may say that it could be caused by that, making it hard to differentiate between the true and false information. Since so many sites will say lots of different things, it might take up all of your time and you will find it hard to stop looking through Google.
In addition, there are a lot of scammers out there. They may link some neurodevelopmental disabilities to a number of things with no scientific evidence and spread hoaxes. Scammers may claim that they're caused by things like vaccines, certain foods, and toxins, and may then claim that they can "cure" them with unproven and even harmful therapies and products to make as much money as possible, which can be deeply offensive to people. This is why we strongly recommend that you stay away from this.
There are lots of infections and diseases that affect the mouth and you can find images of most of them on Google, but we advise you not to Google this. For example, if you're wondering why your gums are red and whether they have been infected by bacteria, do not then Google 'red gums'. It will show you some disgusting images inside people's mouths that might shock you. Instead, you should see a professional.
Shock sites are infamous sites designed to offend or startle viewers. There have been a lot of infamous shock sites and since they are quite extreme, we're not going to name any shock sites here or advise searching for them on Google.
Blackheads are one of the things that people find various ways to get rid of and it offers visual satisfaction for people. Googling this won't scare you or get you into any trouble, but it will probably take up all of your time and there is a chance that you might not be able to perform the method in the correct way and end up harming your skin, so we advise you to stay away from this.
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