Google says it's starting to require users to enable JavaScript to make web pages interactive in order to use Google Search.
In an email to TechCrunch, A company spokesperson said the change is aimed at combating malicious activity like bots and spam and improving the Google Search experience for users. Without JavaScript, He noted that many Google Search functions may not work properly and the quality of search results may decrease.
“Having JavaScript enabled helps us better protect our services and users from bots and evolving patterns of abuse and spam,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch, “providing the most relevant and up-to-date information.”
Many major websites rely on JavaScript. according to According to a 2020 GitHub survey, 95% of sites around the web use the language in some form. But as users of social media pointed out.The decision required by Google could add friction for those who rely on accessibility tools. I'm struggling with some JavaScript implementations..
JavaScript is also easy. Security Vulnerabilities. In its 2024 annual security survey, technology company Datadog found “critical” or “severe” vulnerabilities in 70% or more of JavaScript services introduced by third-party software libraries.
A Google spokesperson told TechCrunch: On average, People with JavaScript disabled perform less than .1% of searches on Google. That's not a small number by Google's standards. Since Google performs about 8.5 billion searches per day, it can be assumed that JavaScript is no longer used by the millions of people who search through Google.
One of Google's motivations here is; It may be blocking third-party tools that provide insight into Google Search trends and traffic. according to In a post on Friday's Search Engine Roundtable, “ranking” tools — tools that indicate how websites are performing in search engines — started experiencing problems with Google Search around the time Google's JavaScript requirement went into effect.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment on Search Engine Roundtable's report.