Yes – Google 'saved' Australian hostage because kidnappers googled for his homepage to find out that he's not a CIA member…

John Martinkus, an Australian journalist kidnapped in Iraq, was freed after his captors checked the popular internet search engine Google to confirm his identity.

John Martinkus was working for Australia's SBS Television and

was seized in Baghdad on Saturday, the first Australian held hostage in Iraq since the US-led invasion.

But his captors agreed to release him after they were convinced he was not working for the CIA or a US contractor.

He was reported to be making his way home to Australia on Tuesday.

His executive producer at Australia's SBS network, Mike Carey, said Google probably saved freelance journalist Martinkus.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Google 'saved' Australian hostage

Cool – but I guess in the future CIA & Co will start building fake identies for their agents, won't they… after all it's not too hard to create a popular webpage, maybe a blog, rambling about stuff – and hey – there goes your new Id … :-)

.. and hey – I can very well imagine that this is some kind of new – little bit bad tasted – viral marketing campaign by Google Inc… don't you believe that could be possible?