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24 things you should never, ever google

These search terms may sound benign, but if you're not careful, they can be anything but. From the terrifying to the profoundly time-consuming, these 24 search terms will leave you wishing you weren't so curious.

Jessica Learish
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1 of 25 Bob Denelzen/Shutterstock

'Huntsman spider'

If you don't have arachnophobia before reading about this spider, one photo of this foot-long spider feasting on a mouse will cement a real fear of the species.

snape
2 of 25 Warner Bros. Pictures

'Snapewives'

A subculture of Harry Potter superfans believe that they're married to Professor Severus Snape on a supernatural astral plane. It sounds ludicrous, but we found ourselves so spellbound reading about these people that by the time our curiosity was sated, it was almost time to leave our office.

NYC Police Robot Secures Unexploded Bomb In Manhattan's Chelsea Neighborhood
3 of 25 Lucien Harriot/Getty Images

'Pressure cooker bombs' with 'backpacks'

In 2013, a Suffolk County man Googled "pressure cooker bombs" and "backpacks" from his work computer.

Then the police showed up at his house

The police determined the man was just curious, not criminal, but he probably regrets those searches to this day.

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4 of 25 National Institutes of Health

'Botfly removal'

We've never closed out of a browser tab so quickly as we did when watching a video of a man removing a parasitic, flesh-eating botfly maggot from under his skin.

red-pill
5 of 25 Warner Bros. Pictures

'Red pill'

If you think you're going to get info on the "Matrix" movies by Googling this term, you're wrong. Instead, you'll get a glimpse into the Men's Rights movement; critics have called much of the movement misogynistic.  

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6 of 25 Junior D. Kannah/ AFP/Getty Images

'Mouth larva'

If you're searching for pictures of moth larvae, be very careful not to accidentally type the word mouth instead. Instead of pictures of household pests, you'll find pictures of humans and other animals with larvae crawling between their teeth. You will never be able to un-see these images... or videos.

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7 of 25 Syda Productions/Shutterstock

'Jiggers'

A jigger is a shot-pouring tool used by bartenders. A jigger flea is a terrifying insect that burrows into the skin and lays eggs. Make sure your search terms reflect an interest in mixology, rather than parasitic fleas.

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8 of 25 Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

'Insider trading in an international account'

In July 2017, police arrested MIT researcher Fei Yan. According to reports, he Googled "insider trading in an international account" before allegedly purchasing large amounts of stock. 

Yan was charged with three fraud counts. Federal prosecutors allege the the stock made Yan $120,000 in illicit profits.

Annenberg Foundation And KCRW's 'Sound In Focus' Concert With Baaba Maal, Classixx And The Brazilian Girls In Century Park
9 of 25 Chris Weeks

'Brazilian Girls'

Fans of the band Brazilian Girls should add more search terms than just the name of the band, unless they want to see a bunch of waxing tutorials and butts... lots of butts.

January 10, 2011 Christian Cadieux (R), owner of Bed Bugs Bite , and employee Jeff Lake fumigates a
10 of 25 Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star/Getty Images

'Bedbugs'

Learning the basics of bedbugs and travel is probably a good idea. But if you're looking to avoid stress, maybe not. Five minutes of exposure to the warning signs of bedbugs could convince even discerning people that these six-legged intruders are hiding in their bedding. Exhibit A: Within a day of googling "bedbugs," we threw away perfectly good sheets. That's $45 we'll never get back.

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11 of 25 STR/AFP/Getty Images

'Murder Island Thailand'

Seven tourists have died on the small resort island of Koh Tao in the past three years under disputed circumstances -- a fact you'll learn if you Google the term above. As with Snapewives, we spent about two hours riveted by this rabbit hole of a story. That's two hours we'll never get back.

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12 of 25 Fedorovacz/Shutterstock

'Blue waffle'

In 2010, a hoax called "blue waffle disease" hit the internet with graphic (photoshopped) images of "infected" female genitalia.

 In 2013, a constituent reached out to New Jersey city councilwoman Kathy McBride about the so-called epidemic. McBride was alarmed... not realizing that the date was April 1.

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13 of 25 Amazon Pictures

'I Love Dick'

Like Samantha Bee's show, the phrase that makes up the show title "I Love Dick" is difficult to Google without graphic consequences. We recommend adding "Amazon Prime streaming video" to your search terms to watch this comedy.

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14 of 25 TBS

'Full Frontal'

Samantha Bee's late-night comedy series has seen serious success, but the show still doesn't dominate Google search results. Know what does? We'll give you one guess. If you choose to Google this, we recommend you have Safe Search turned on.

Chipotle's Garbage Ripped Open By Rats In Brooklyn
15 of 25 Getty Images

'Things people have found in fast food'

People claim to have found everything from hardware parts to whole chicken heads in their fast food. If you read enough of these accounts, your options for guilt-free dining could be severely limited, if you still have an appetite at all.

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16 of 25 Chaowalit Jaiyen/Shutterstock

Belly button bugs

Your belly button harbors what scientists have described as a "rainforest" of bacteria. This Google search term will yield pictures of insect bites and recently pierced, infected navels.

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg Delivers Commencement Address At Harvard
17 of 25 Paul Marotta/Getty Images

'Everything Facebook knows about you'

Facebook reportedly can predict if you're going to break up with your significant other or if you're pregnant. Sometimes Facebook even knows before you do. Maybe you'd rather not know any of this.

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18 of 25 andreiuc88/Shutterstock

'No sleep'

If you're looking for a cure to insomnia, searching for "no sleep" won't help you. Instead, you'll wind up on Reddit's aptly-named horror story forum, and it will leave you jumping at any sudden movements. Make sure the lights are all on if you wander into this horrifying time sink.

Calculus teacher Tom Moriarty writes down a calculus problem
19 of 25 Ricky Carioti/Washington Post/Getty Images

'Calculus bridge'

You may think this is high-school math term, but in the dental world, a calculus bridge (also known as a tartar bridge) is intense oral plaque buildup that can lead to receding gums and bad breath. We wouldn't wish pictures of this dental malady on our worst enemy.

Prop 65 warning posted on the window of a Ventura auto parts store. There are signs required by law
20 of 25 Stephen Osman/Getty Images

[Your favorite thing] + 'cancer'

Googling your favorite things, from pizza crust to grilled steak, followed by the word "cancer," will likely yield at least one shaky report linking that thing and the disease. Even owning a dog has been linked to cancer by some sites... and we don't want you getting rid of your dog.

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21 of 25 Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

Whatever medical symptom you have right now

If you're feeling ill, call your doctor. Spending any amount of time researching your symptoms online could easily convince you that your cold is actually a rare genetic disease or that an upset stomach is cancer.

Rocky Mountain Micro Ranch raises insects to be sold to restaurants.
22 of 25 Kathryn Scott/Getty Images

'FDA Defect Levels Handbook'

The Food and Drug Administration publishes a report detailing the maximum levels of rodent hairs, maggots and other horrible things legally permitted in your food. 

If you'd rather not know how many beetles could be in your asparagus, don't Google this report.

"Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - Outside Arrivals
23 of 25 Noam Galai/Getty Images

'L-Cysteine in food'

L-Cysteine is used in commercially produced bread. It's commonly synthesized from -- yes -- human hair collected from the floors of Chinese salons

We recommend avoiding this topic online, unless you're looking to cut back on carbs permanently.

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24 of 25 HBO

'GoT spoilers'

It's hard enough to avoid "Game of Thrones" spoilers on the internet. Leaks of video and scripts from future episodes are ridiculously easy to find, if you're looking. 

If you want to maintain any element of surprise for the rest of the series, skip this search entirely.

Things you should never, ever Google
Things you should never, ever Google
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Things you should never, ever Google

Google can be very helpful, except when you can't unsee the results. These are a few things that you probably should not search for.

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