All posts tagged: search engines

Top Google Security Staff Warn Search Data Could Be Hacked if EU Rules Change

Top Google Security Staff Warn Search Data Could Be Hacked if EU Rules Change

Published by skeptic

Google’s top privacy and security staff have warned that plans in Europe, designed to get it to open up its search data and Android operating system to competitors, could lead to people’s search queries being hacked and an increase in cybercrime across the content, according to multiple interviews and documents shared with WIRED. Mountain View’s alarm comes as European Commission officials are set to make final decisions next month in two cases, around Google Search and Android interoperability, under the European Union’s landmark Digital Markets Act competition rules. The rules, which were first adopted at the end of 2022, are designed to force open Big Tech companies that dominate markets, make it easier for others to compete, and reduce reliance on a handful of firms. Heather Adkins, Google’s vice president of security engineering and a founding member of its security team, says the company has concerns around the proposed changes for both Search and Android. In April, the European Commission published initial details, plus now-closed public consultations, on how Google should open up its search …

As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2026

As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2026

Published by skeptic

Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari currently dominate the web browser market, with Chrome holding a significant share due to the tech giant’s ongoing innovations, particularly in integrating generative AI into its search functionalities.  However, users seeking alternatives will find a variety of browsers aiming to challenge these industry giants. To help navigate the competitive landscape of the browser wars, we’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today. This includes browsers leveraging AI, open source browsers that promote customization and privacy, and “mindful browsers” — a new term that refers to browsers designed to enhance user well-being. AI-powered browsers Image Credits:Perplexity Perplexity’s Comet Perplexity is the most recent startup in the space to launch an AI-powered web browser. Called Comet, the company’s new product acts as a chatbot-based search engine, and can perform actions like summarizing emails, browsing web pages, and performing tasks such as sending calendar invites. It’s currently only available to users with Perplexity’s $200/month Max plan, but there’s also a waitlist where people can sign up. The Browser …

Sundar Pichai Understands Why People Are Anxious About A.I.

Sundar Pichai Understands Why People Are Anxious About A.I.

Published by skeptic

Roose: The last time we had you on, we asked you about A.G.I. and your feelings about the term. At the time, you responded that it didn’t really matter whether you reached A.G.I. or not, because the systems are going to be very, very capable, and Google’s strategy should be the same. I noticed that you did not say A.G.I. in your keynote. Demis [Hassabis] did, but you did not. What’s your relationship with the term A.G.I. today, and the idea that all of this progress is building toward something singular and world-changing? Pichai: There is inevitable progress toward A.G.I. that’s happening. I have long understood it, otherwise I wouldn’t have pivoted the company 10 years ago to put that technology at the heart and center of the company. All I meant by that statement was that even in the scenario where A.G.I. is going to take 10 years, the technology — which is three years out — will be so much more powerful than what we have today that I don’t want people to …

Google’s AI Searches Love to Refer You Back to Google

Google’s AI Searches Love to Refer You Back to Google

Published by skeptic

Google seems to have a Google addiction. If you click on a hyperlink in Google’s chatbot-style search tool, AI Mode, you are likely to be looped into another Google search, according to a new study from SE Ranking, a search engine optimization company. Currently, Google.com is the most commonly linked site in AI Mode. Many website owners and publishers have relied heavily on Google Search as their primary source of visitors and have complained about declines in traffic over the past few years as the tech giant has prominently featured generative AI summaries in search results, through AI Overviews and AI Mode. Liz Reid, Google’s head of Search, has previously disputed reports about traffic declines and described AI tools as driving “highly quality clicks” to these sites. “Even if you’re saying that people click on those citations all the time, well, there’s nothing to click on, because it just takes you to another Google result,” says Mordy Oberstein, an SEO expert and head of brand at SE Ranking. Currently, an estimated 17 percent of total …

AI Bots Are Now a Signifigant Source of Web Traffic

AI Bots Are Now a Signifigant Source of Web Traffic

Published by skeptic

The viral virtual assistant OpenClaw—formerly known as Moltbot, and before that Clawdbot—is a symbol of a broader revolution underway that could fundamentally alter how the internet functions. Instead of a place primarily inhabited by humans, the web may very soon be dominated by autonomous AI bots. A new report measuring bot activity on the web, as well as related data shared with WIRED by the internet infrastructure company Akamai, shows that AI bots already account for a meaningful share of web traffic. The findings also shed light on an increasingly sophisticated arms race unfolding as bots deploy clever tactics to bypass website defenses meant to keep them out. “The majority of the internet is going to be bot traffic in the future,” says Toshit Pangrahi, cofounder and CEO of TollBit, a company that tracks web-scraping activity and published the new report. “It’s not just a copyright problem, there is a new visitor emerging on the internet.” Most big websites try to limit what content bots can scrape and feed to AI systems for training purposes. …