You are sitting at your computer and are busy performing Google searches. The following error message appears:

You may also see this message:

What’s going on? These errors surface when Google detects that searches are being sent automatically from your network. It suspects that these searches are automated and possibly the work of a malicious bot, computer program, automated service, or search scraper.

Don’t worry. If you get this error, it doesn’t mean that Google is spying on you and monitoring your searches or network activity. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a virus, especially if you’re using one of the best antivirus programs.