Google starts requiring JavaScript for its search engine.

Google has begun requiring its users to enable JavaScript, a programming language widely used to make web pages interactive, in order to use Google Search. A company spokesperson explained that this change aims to "better protect" Google Search from malicious activities, such as bots and spam, and to enhance the overall search experience for users. Without JavaScript, many services within Google Search would not function properly, and the quality of search results could be affected.

Enabling JavaScript allows Google to offer greater protection against bots and other forms of abuse and spam, in addition to ensuring more relevant and up-to-date information. It is estimated that 95% of websites use JavaScript in some way, according to a survey conducted in 2020 by GitHub. However, some users have pointed out that this requirement could hinder access for those who rely on accessibility tools, which may have issues with certain JavaScript implementations.

Additionally, JavaScript presents security vulnerabilities. In the 2024 annual security survey conducted by the tech company Datadog, it was found that approximately 70% of JavaScript services are susceptible to some form of "critical" or "high-severity" vulnerability caused by third-party software libraries. The Google spokesperson indicated that, on average, less than 0.1% of searches on the platform are conducted by people who have JavaScript disabled. Although this seems like a small percentage, considering that Google processes around 8.5 billion searches per day, it can be deduced that millions of users are not using JavaScript when performing their searches.

Another possible motivation behind this decision could be to limit third-party tools that provide information on search trends and traffic on Google. Recently, it was reported that several of these "rank-checking" tools, which allow monitoring of website performance in search engines, began experiencing issues coinciding with the implementation of the JavaScript requirement by Google. The company spokesperson did not comment on this situation.