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google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

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Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#61

Post by Brian_K_White »

golly_ned wrote: post #38
rmunn wrote: post #33

I've been using DuckDuckGo for years now, ever since it became noticeable that two different people searching for the same search term would get two different results back from Google. Meaning they were no longer completely reliable: they might show one person a result that they hide from the other person by burying it on page 3 where few people ever look. DDG's search results have been poorer recently than they used…

Personalized search results are not ipso facto unreliable.

Anything that isn't repeatable is by definition unreliable.

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#62

Post by pibaker »

rmunn wrote: post #33

I've been using DuckDuckGo for years now, ever since it became noticeable that two different people searching for the same search term would get two different results back from Google. Meaning they were no longer completely reliable: they might show one person a result that they hide from the other person by burying it on page 3 where few people ever look. DDG's search results have been poorer recently than they used…

I don't know how global consistency is actually useful, but I can easily think of ways it is less convenient.

For example, DST starts and ends on different dates in the UK and the US. Which dates should google return when someone from either country searches for just "DST end date?" Someone lives in Orange County and searches for "Orange County Sheriffs," which one of the eight Orange Counties should google return?

These are both examples where a localized — not even customized, just localized based on IP addresses — search results will easily help reduce headaches.

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#64

Post by MiroslavPokorny »

demibabs wrote: post #10

Can someone explain why this matters? Not being flippant I just don’t understand why this would be important.

It should be obvious, they are doing this for a reason to benefit themselves.

As others have elaborated, the reasons are so they can track who you are and sell your profile advertising.

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#65

Post by zenoprax »

TZubiri wrote: post #41
pbhjpbhj wrote: post #21

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?

ISPs do not see query strings since Google uses HTTPS. ISPs can only see the domain and IP address you are connecting to.

Can they even see the domain? Assuming you're not using the ISP's DNS of course.

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#66

Post by NoMoreNicksLeft »

rmunn wrote: post #33

I've been using DuckDuckGo for years now, ever since it became noticeable that two different people searching for the same search term would get two different results back from Google. Meaning they were no longer completely reliable: they might show one person a result that they hide from the other person by burying it on page 3 where few people ever look. DDG's search results have been poorer recently than they used…

The age of internet search is over. The age of Cloudflare has begun. It wouldn't be possible to build a search engine now if they wanted to... and there wouldn't be anything to search for anyway. The non-corporate internet withered into dust and blew away in the wind.

If you could find what you want, how would they ever sell you what they want you to buy? And I'm not just talking merchandise, though that too. Your political narratives, your values, opinions, everything. And everyone likes it so much they just sit there scrolling and swiping and tapping.

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#67

Post by austhrow743 »

Lvl999Noob wrote: post #46

I... Don't see it? It's the result page right? I just search some random string on Google and the results are all direct URLs. Do they get resolved via javascript after page load and replaced automatically? Or am I looking at something else?

Are you logged in to a Google account?

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#68

Post by adtac »

why is this such a bad thing? it's not really any different from using a uuid as a user facing key, which basically everyone does.

and trying to protect your moat isn't automatically a bad thing. they clearly feel it's helping competition, so they're closing a hole. competition is good doesn't mean help your competitors.

- coming from someone who's been using fastmail as my personal for ~10 years because i don't want my emails to be backprop fodder

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#69

Post by demibabs »

1e1a wrote: post #51
demibabs wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But what’s stopping Google from doing this already?

JavaScript being disabled - Google was already sending analytics pings when search result links were clicked on, using JS.

JavaScript is required to use Google search at all, no?

Re: google.com/goto: Google's anti-scraping update

#70

Post by rmunn »

pibaker wrote: post #62
rmunn wrote: post #33

I've been using DuckDuckGo for years now, ever since it became noticeable that two different people searching for the same search term would get two different results back from Google. Meaning they were no longer completely reliable: they might show one person a result that they hide from the other person by burying it on page 3 where few people ever look. DDG's search results have been poorer recently than they used…

I don't know how global consistency is actually useful, but I can easily think of ways it is less convenient. For example, DST starts and ends on different dates in the UK and the US. Which dates should google return when someone from either country searches for just "DST end date?" Someone lives in Orange County and searches for "Orange County Sheriffs," which one of the eight Orange Counties should google return? T…

I wouldn't mind that one. That a man in the US and a woman in Japan would get different results for a search for "sushi restaurant" is perfectly reasonable (even if the woman in Japan was searching in English).

It's when two people in the same neighborhood got different results for the same search that I said "wait a minute, they're personalizing search results now for ad-targeting purposes" and ditched them. The potential for them to deliberately hide things from you was too great.

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