Removing it after it has been on the front page of HN is straightforward. We can't say how long it was there or how many users have been duped by this already. The case might be similar for other search terms.
And when I went to view your screenshot on imgur I got an ad pretending to be an Android warning message about my storage being full in order to trick me into insuring an app. Presumably that apps true purpose is to show me even more scammy ads.
Hmm I wasn't trying to make a circular argument, as just a user I see no need for that paid ad with a virus to be there in the first place, even if they take it down now why wreck your users experience from the start at all ? If you cant do business right, don't do it at all, but that's just me.
Imo if you cant serve me up non virus ridden ads GTFO, and I really enjoyed google search before so I am not bashing it because of some personal agenda, I used to find it the best search engine by far and would continued to use it if I found it worked like it used to, prolly despite virus ridden ads that I have encountered personally on the google.
Human intervention doesn't make it a circular argument, because "what Google is" has to do with algorithm and automation. You can give them the benefit of "all's well that ends well," but that consequentialism hides a chain of causality. There were a lot of steps needed to get to this point of human intervention, steps engineered and implemented by "the best of the best."
