Swastika ('卐') tops Google's search list, then disappears

Image courtesy NPR's Bryant Park Project

This morning, the swastika character rose to the top of Google's Hot Trends list, which could mean, as we've speculated before, that thousands of people were searching for the symbol simultaneously. Perhaps even more oddly, the swastika mysteriously disappeared from the trends list a few hours later -- almost certainly the result of some human decision at Google, since the No. 1 term rarely vanishes from the list so quickly (especially after Drudge links to it).

Various theories have been circulated about the provenance of the swastika on Google. The first, from a comments thread on Blogoscoped, was that someone on the underground message board 4Chan (the same net location that helped incubate the anti-Scientology group Anonymous) had posted the HTML code for the swastika in the morning, after which "thousand of people googled it." I'm not exactly sure why 4Chan members would've been Googling the character itself, unless it was some kind of subversive statement, but either way, the Blogoscoped commenter said the 4Chan post has now been removed. 

Another theory has to do with the symbol's original meaning (Wikipedia says the Sanskrit noun "svastika" means "any lucky or auspicious object"). Dan at tdaxp points out that if you actually search the character, you get a list of results in Chinese: "A little thought," he writes, "reveals why. The swastika is a traditional Chinese good-luck character, the Olympics are coming up, and good luck is on the Chinese mind." Dan points to the translation of the Chinese Wikipedia page on 'Wan.'

Also seems a bit fishy -- thousands of Chinese are Googling the Swastika because it means good luck?

I contacted Google for a comment on the disappearance, I'll post when I get a reply. I know displaying the Swastika is illegal in Germany, but I didn't think it was illegal on the Internet. Taking it down doesn't help anything: If a lot of people are searching it, there are a lot of other people that probably want to know why.

UPDATE (2:22 Pacific): Google has sent me the following statement, which does not address the important question of why the Swastika disappeared:

The Hot Trends list is automatically generated by machines and algorithms that detect hot or breaking queries. In this case, it appears that the html code for this query was posted on a popular internet bulletin board, which led to quite a few people searching to find out more about this symbol. The Hot Trends list reflected that surge due to people searching with this query.

Assuming the spokesperson is referring to 4Chan, it's still not clear whether Google is verifying via internal data that the searches originated from the bulletin board, or simply repeating the most likely explanation.  (I enjoy the idea that curious 4chan members searched the swastika to "find out more about" it.)

I've requested clarification on these questions from the Google Trends team, which is in Tel Aviv. Stay tuned.

UPDATE 2: The story continues, and Google apologizes, here.

Comments

[Rick Cain]

4chan is a cancer on the internet, it must be stopped.

[anon]

lol, it was almost assuredly /b/
i think its funny that this gets so much attention and has not bearing whatsoever on anyone's life.

[Steve]

Yeah it was 4chan. They were doing similar stuff like that later on. They made me search for something naughty with their HTML codes.

[Matt]

Here's a more likely explanation. If you do a Baidu News search (Baidu is the Chinese equivalent of Google), you'll find that there was a swastika-related story recently in the Chinese press that has gotten widespread coverage over the past week. apparently there was a big mural-type advertisement on a wall somewhere in xi'an (ancient capital of China, geographically speaking it's roughly in the center). the mural contained a painting of a long black train with a nazi-inspired swastika painted on the train's head. judging from the baidu news results, this story was literally reproduced in hundreds of online news outlets. my sense of the article is that it's meant to inspire shock (as in, how could they not know this looks like a nazi swastika?!), but also to provide the general lesson that the swastika has negative connotations outside of buddhism (for those who don't know anything about the nazis?). i'd say this story is what inspired all those google searches, and not the simple fact that "good luck is on their minds."

[SUGARAT]

The huge number of people searching the symbol may have resulted from the fact that it is not originated by the Nastis(I refuse to type the name). Although quite a few people know it I am not stretching to assume that the majority of us don't know the exact origin of the symbol. As a matter of (fact) being in my mid 30's I have come to realise younger generations don't get into history very much, so when all the techies find something interesting that they may not have known they want to check it out. And I'm sure the site that posted the code is very popular.

please stop sensationalising this crap I'm sure there's more beneficiaal things we could be reporting on

[Jay]

Now it looks like LA Times is getting some Druge Love. ;)

[George]

The Swastika is an inverted Buddhist symbol with the points moving to the left to symbolize destruction. The Buddhist symbol moves to the right to indicate progress and growth.

How can people be so ignorant?

[David]

"If you are under 13 years of age" you could be a 4channer because they are immature little punk brats messing with adult subjects. They like to hack sites and cause mayhem just because they can. Nothing originating from these children should even be newsworthy. Ignore them and their "power" will disappear.

[susan]

<<

Posted by: Brad Gerstein | July 10, 2008 at 03:01 PM >>>

That is an excellent question...and lends credence to the issue of Chinese people searching LUCK and the Olympics. They would have the symbol on their comouters, wouldn;t they?

[Pants McGillicuddy]

Anyone notice that the four green hearts on the top of the 4chan page if connected could make a swastika? omg, is this a world wide conspiracy. I bet the Iranians are behind it!!

[ben]

They are making a statement in support of Obama and his socialist dream.

[D Martin]

If you go to most any Hindu home in India on a festival day such as Diwali, you will see the Swastika. If you go to any Hindu temple anywhere in the world, you will see it. If you visit a shop, the owner may well have painted it somewhere for good luck. You will likely also see huge ads on billboards and in magazines and newspapers which have this symbol, if there is any religious theme, or if the sponsors are Hindu or simply wish to attract Hindus.

In other words, for almost a billion people in India alone, this symbol has had a positive meaning for millenia. When these people see the Swastika, they do not think of Hitler. They will continue using it, no matter how much it shocks anyone else.

There are numerous other cultures across the world, who have their own versions of this symbol, such as the Chinese Wan. They are not about to change their mythology or traditions either because of some guy named Hitler.

Get used to it.

[lou]

The symbol is if popularly referred to as a swastika, has been present in many cultures over time, with slightly different alterations here and there.
The Germans also had their own alteration though I dont know that in the long run, if it was that much differnt from EVERY other version.
But the truth is, we need to get over this symbol phobia. A symbol has no power unless we give it one. Whaetver the nazis did, does not necessarilty give the symbol ay power. The power is given by each individual who chooses to do so.
The Jews need to get over the swastika, African Americans need to get over the noose, and Americans need to get over George Bush, the ultimate symbol of stupidity.

[Timothy A. Bear]

Now the world has learned the power of a sexual fetish cartoon bulletin board.

[Bob]

For those wondering how you could search this. If you have google toolbar, you can select the HTML symbol, then right click on the selection, then select 'search for'. It is a little obscure, but I'm sure thousands of people would know how to do it.

[pk]

Swastika is from Sanskrit and made of tow words "Swa" and "Asti"
"Swa" means "Self" and "Asti" means "Existing" thereby meaning Self existing. It is a symbol for GOD. Represented to mean something which does not need anything outside it to exist. It is symbol of Good. Hindus have used it for thousands of years and still used in all important functions and rituals. And it has no evil connotations. It may have spread to other places as well in course of time.

However, the swastika used by Nazis were actually inverted swastika which connotes opposite of GOD meaning Evil. Hindus never use inverted swastika which, they believe, would bring ill luck and disaster.
It is unfortunate that Nazis have used it for such evil purposes.

As for Jews, one would do well to remember that they found more peaceful society and became one with socio-economic aspects, while maintaining religious identity, in India alone. Most other countries vilified them and that includes USA and Britain. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet characterized a Jew Shylock as ruthless Moneylender.Nazis were manifestation of this parochialistic mentality which involves persecution of Jews for their alleged role in crucifixion of Christ.

[Geoprge Orwell]

Another victory for free speech. It's only hate speech when the politically correct crowd is offended. The rest of us have to settle for what they tell us is "free speech."

[Andrew]

At what point does a site become "underground?" I found out about 4chan a year ago because no one can follow Rules 1 and 2. I'd hardly say it's the shadowy corner of the internet people profess it to be.

Regardless, interesting blog post.

[Edward Henning]

This was not the Nazi swastika style, but clearly the one used in the east. The Nazis rotated the swastika through 45 degrees - the one referred to here was the normal symbol of good fortune - all lines are either horizontal or vertical. It is a positive symbol, and not something offensive. It is quite offensive to many such as Buddhists like myself that the Nazis perverted the use of this symbol and stained the impression people, at least in the west, have of it. In India or China you see it all over the place, and it has nothing to do with the Nazis.

[Saf]

"I've requested clarification on these questions from the Google Trends team, which is in Tel Aviv. Stay tuned."

Tel Aviv??!! There's your answer to the swastika's disappearance. Isn't it nice to have a minder protecting you.

[sweetchuckd]

Maybe its because there is a mom in the news for sending her kids to school with a swastika drawn on their arms! I came across the story on http://detentionslip.org.

[zosima]

One thought, if Google's Hot Trend's List looks at the derivative of searches rather than the absolute number of searches. A small number of people that searched the symbol in a very short amount of time could have generated a huge derivative with a small overall search volume. Such an algorithm would actually be a smart and very googly way of predicting future trends.

[Anonymous]

It was done for the lulz, plain and simple.

[mudkip]

Anonymous is not an anti-Scientology group.

[Seeker]

"Anonymous is not an anti-Scientology group."

Truth.

Anonymous is an anti-complacency group.