Emma Watson: Most Dangerous Celebrity Search Object, McAfee Says

By Matt McGee

Published: September 13, 2012 at 1:24 pm

emma-watson Hey Emma Watson fans: Be really careful about clicking on those search results.

McAfee, the security technology company, says Watson is 2012’s most dangerous celebrity to search for — replacing Heidi Klum, who held that title last year.

According to McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrities study, searches related to Watson have a 12.6 percent chance of leading to a malicious website that offers spyware, adware, viruses and the like.

When it comes to dangerous search terms, the landscape is decidedly female. The only guy to make McAfee’s top 20? That would be Jimmy Kimmel, who ranks number 13. Last year, both Piers Morgan (No. 3) and Brad Pitt (No. 10) were in the top ten. This year, the entire top ten dangerous celebrity searches are females.

mcafee-dangerou-searches-2012

(Stock image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com. Used under license.)

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Contributing authors are chosen for their expertise and work under the oversight of the editorial staff. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to mention Semrush; the opinions expressed are their own.

About the author

Matt McGee

Matt McGee joined Third Door Media as a writer/reporter/editor in September 2008. He served as Editor-In-Chief from January 2013 until his departure in July 2017. He can be found on Twitter at @MattMcGee.