Google rolls out google.com/goto URL as a passthrough to block third‑party tool and AI company scraping of its search results
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| Source: Techmeme | Original article
Google is rolling out a new google.com/goto passthrough URL to make it harder for third‑party tools and AI companies to scrape its search results.
Google has begun deploying a new google.com/goto endpoint that acts as a passthrough URL for its search results. The move is designed to make it harder for third‑party tools and AI companies to scrape Google’s SERPs directly. By routing requests through the /goto layer, Google can insert additional checks and obfuscate the underlying result URLs, limiting automated harvesting of its data.
The change matters because large‑language‑model providers and other AI services have increasingly relied on bulk extraction of search results to train or augment their products. Google’s approach seeks to protect the value of its search ecosystem, curb unauthorized data mining, and reinforce its terms of service. It also signals a broader industry shift toward tighter control over web‑scale data that fuels generative AI.
What to watch next includes how quickly the /goto mechanism rolls out across regions and whether it triggers pushback from developers of SEO tools, data‑scraping services, or AI firms that depend on open access to search results. Observers will also monitor any accompanying policy updates or rate‑limiting measures Google may introduce, as well as potential workarounds that could emerge. The rollout could set a precedent for other search operators facing similar pressures, shaping the balance between open web data and proprietary content protection in the AI era.
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