Google Mandates JavaScript for Search Functionality

Google has announced that users must now enable JavaScript to access Google Search, a change aimed at enhancing security and user experience by better protecting against bots and spam. A company representative explained that many Google Search features rely on JavaScript, and its absence could degrade search result quality. Although a significant majority of websites utilize JavaScript, users have expressed concerns that this requirement may hinder those using accessibility tools. Furthermore, JavaScript has known security vulnerabilities, with a report indicating that around 70% of JavaScript services are at risk due to third-party libraries. While only a small fraction of users (fewer than 0.1%) currently disable JavaScript, this still represents millions of daily searches on Google. Speculation suggests that this move may also be intended to limit third-party tools that analyze Google Search data.