Google: We Were Not Hacked

Turns out that Google Trends was not hacked last week. But it apparently did get get fooled for a spell.

In an official response issued late Monday, Google said that "a questionable term" on its Hot Trends list appeared on the list "for a few hours following a surge of search activity for the query."

The company maintained this was not a hack where an outsider gained access to Google's network.

"While we have filtering mechanisms in place to help prevent objectionable and automated queries from appearing on Google Trends, no filter is 100% accurate. We're continually updating and improving our filters in order to provide the best user experience possible," according to the statement.

Google declined to offer specifics about what sorts of signals its filtering systems check for. A spokeswoman said that when questionable content appears on Google Trends, the company is "almost immediately alerted by users and media."

She said that Google was "continuously improving" its filtering systems.

"It's really impossible to understand motive," she added , "but again, Google Trends was doing exactly what it was doing, which was interpreting the rising query correctly."