ISPs can presumably correlate the Google query string with the request following the response to the goto and so make a search index? I guess they would charge too much.
Do any large ISPs use visit data to feed into a search index?
google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
21–30 of 545 posts
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#22If I hadn't already ditched Google long ago, this would be more than enough to chase me away.
Why? I don't really see why this is bad, other than if your company blocks url shorteners/redirects. What are you losing?
Because I wouldn't want Google to know what links I click on. When I used to use Google, and they added such redirects that included the destination URL as a parameter, I'd edit the link to make it just that URL before resolving it. This new scheme would make that impossible.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#23It hasn’t provided direct URLs for decades? Not exactly new behaviour.
I’ve got something that will blow your mind. Google now has tracking analytics, for get this, your business’s phone number. Some “Adsense partner” convinced our web admin to install a little script which changes your phone number on your website so they track phone call enquires back to search engine leads / advertising spend.
Yeah no thanks, that was creepy as hell and had it rolled back ASAP. You’ve got to realise the power these tech companies hold over your business. Don’t show up in the search results, someone lists your business as closed in maps, a tracking phone number goes dead so they can’t call you, you might as well have shut up shop and ceased to exist.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#24Can someone explain why this matters? Not being flippant I just don’t understand why this would be important.
The security implications of this are very severe when you consider the amount of people who google government websites, banking, crypto and others. And google will happily serve you a phishing website either in ads or results.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#25Can someone explain why this matters? Not being flippant I just don’t understand why this would be important.
Well just as a regular user, I think it is pretty annoying because if I look up anything on Google while in Incognito Mode and hover over a search result, I can see that maybe the top result is maybe Wikipedia, or Instagram, or some other less-known website depending on what I'm searching for. Now, that's all very obfuscated because I don't actually know where I'm going to land for sure.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#26If I hadn't already ditched Google long ago, this would be more than enough to chase me away.
Why? I don't really see why this is bad, other than if your company blocks url shorteners/redirects. What are you losing?
Blocking URL shorteners and google-ad links yes! Personally for me it's also the fact that this is effectively an unresolvable URL shortener, store that link somewhere and it will most likely be dead. Can't copy link anymore and paste it on a notepad or chat app to check it out later as there isn't a guarantee it will load at all (ie: the problem with url shorteners).
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#27It's sad that instead of searching things other people put up, we're basically asking sam or dario oracle to tell us the truth. The people should be furious. But we've internalized this idea that they are somehow better.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#28I use ChatGPT for almost all my searches now. I’m not joking.
Yeah, its way faster. Its not because chatgpt is so superior. Its just because google search is dogshit. They work on killing the web as we knew it and I fear its kinda working.
Can’t sell Gemini if they were to make Search good.
Streaming services already adding in ads to “ad-free” tiers they’ve now named “premium”.
Quality of life on the internet has gotten shitty while Reality Classic stays mostly the same, though more expensive.
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#29Gemini does something similar
Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update
#30It hasn’t provided direct URLs for decades? Not exactly new behaviour. I’ve got something that will blow your mind. Google now has tracking analytics, for get this, your business’s phone number. Some “Adsense partner” convinced our web admin to install a little script which changes your phone number on your website so they track phone call enquires back to search engine leads / advertising spend. Yeah no thanks, that…
Would it be different to you if a third company (not Google) provided that same phone number tracking service?