Google bans cougar dating sites, not pumas or TV shows, from ad network

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When news that Google had banned cougar sites emerged last week, some reactions were mired in confusion.

The slang term cougar, meaning an older woman who dates younger guys, has come to prominence recently thanks to TV shows like ‘The Cougar’ and ‘Cougar Town.’

Google’s systems are notorious for being driven by emotionless computer algorithms, so some people wondered whether programs and ads related to the animal, also known as a mountain lion or puma, would be unfortunate casualties of the new policy.

Looks like ‘Cougar Town,’ the ABC show starring Courteney Cox, is safe from the new rules.

‘Our policy is that adult dating ads are classified as non-family safe,’ a Google spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail. A ‘non-family safe’ label means the sites cannot advertise on Google listings for users with the Safe Search feature enabled (it’s on by default) or on partners such as Ask.com, YouTube and MySpace.

So for those looking to finally start that website about taking care of mountain lions in captivity, now’s a good time to strike, when there are fewer advertisers in the wild.

-- Mark Milian
twitter.com/markmilian