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Tell HN: Google Search to start locking down search behind a login wall

44 points by exploraz ago | 28 comments
Usually, when I used Google Search on some ISP CGNAT IP addresses (not even a VPN), I usually get countless CAPTCHAs evertime I initiate a new session to Google Search on a new private browsing window (probably an artifact from residential proxy botnets).

Recently, in addition to that, they started to just lock the entire search results page behind a login prompt on some of those bad IP addresses (like YouTube does for some time with the "Sign in to confirm you're not a bot" prompt). This potentially makes the service less accessible, especially for those using a shared/public computers.

I did not even get this prompt on some VPN IPs, and even no CAPTCHAs at all, even with a free one like given by Firefox.

Has anyone encountered that? I just encountered this today. It's really unfortunate for the internet to become less friendly to signed-out users, especially since AI scrapers starting to "abuse" the internet for their value.

ipaddr |next [-]

I notice not logging in using the last supported chrome browser for windows 7 fine but private mode a captcha appears each day.

Using that browser means cloudflaire's confirm button disappears. Digitalocean won't load anymore and for a brieftime chatgpt web chat wouldn't work.

magnetowasright |next |previous [-]

> It's really unfortunate for the internet to become less friendly to signed-out users

The internet as defined by these megacorps is impossible to use without accounts and I'm just so over it. I don't really use any of these megacorps' products and it's still just exhausting. The other day, I tried to create a youtube account for the first time (a bunch of videos were age restricted???) and it wouldn't let me. It expected me to have a smart phone. I ran into an issue trying to create a facebook account where after I filled in all the details requested, it said it "couldn't find an account" for me. I was trying to create one, so, well, obviously. I'm not sure I even want to know what the hell it meant by not being able to "find an account".

Some of the biggest (and worst) websites can't be used without an account. Apparently I can't create an account, either. I was just trying to watch fucking educational videos and finally relent to being looped in with community groups who unfortunately use facebook to coordinate everything.

I've not used google search in years, but it's all the same bullshit.

I'm so tired.

rckoepke |next |previous [-]

I’ve been so very happy with Kagi. I also let my agents use it via API, and it helps them surface a lot of stuff they don’t find without it.

fluidcruft |root |parent |next [-]

How is using Kagi different from logging in to use Google Search?

freedomben |root |parent |next |previous [-]

How'd you give it to your agent? MCP or cli tool or something?

rckoepke |root |parent |next [-]

I use a self-hosted Infisical instance to provide agents with secrets.

Natfan |root |parent |previous [-]

i can't speak for op, but i asked glm-5.3-flash to look up the pi documentation and to make a new web_search extension. i provided ot with a summary of the kagi api along with the location of a token.txt file

turpentine |root |parent |previous [-]

are there any alternatives to Kagi that don't support the Russian war economy?

mahmoudhossam |root |parent |next [-]

Do you have more info on this?

leosarev |root |parent |next [-]

Seems that Kagi buying data from multiple search providers, including Yandex.

ipaddr |root |parent |next [-]

Yandex.com is European based. Money doesn't flow back to Russia from Europe for obvious reasons.

mitxela |root |parent |previous [-]

They're talking about Kagi using Yandex as one source of results. For some reason they're just completely outraged about indirectly helping an unrelated company in a country that has one war, but directly helping a defense contractor company in a country that has 20 wars is perfectly okay. As far as I can tell, these people are just concern trolling, maybe paid by Google. They come out every single time Kagi is mentioned on HN.

fwn |root |parent |next [-]

It is a common reflex to assume paid or synthetic/bot actors whenever outrage seems hard to explain. But I think unreasonable purity standards in small tech companies are a recognizable (edit: human!) pattern.

Many people have probably given up on making moral demands towards big tech, which are mostly futile. It might therefore feel much more relieving to redirect moral demands towards smaller tech brands, especially those with some version of a good-guy brand aspiration.

This happens a lot with Kagi, Mullvad, Proton, Signal, Firefox, Fairphone, etc.

The substance behind the outrage might even be factually correct. But the idea that the inability to answer to impossible standards should define small tech brands is probably just a compensating effect of the general disenfranchisement many big tech users feel.

bawis |root |parent |previous [-]

it's the usual HN hypocrisy, I can't count how many top multinational american companies have been, directly and indirectly, supporting the IDF in the still ongoing genocide, but do "hackers" give a damn about them? of course not! we just discuss how cool the tech is, after all, we are in "apolitical" social media and what matters is which new LLM is going to rule them all and nothing else matter, well unless it is about Russia/Iran/North Korea etc.

elevation |root |parent |previous [-]

The hardware to support a full tax index would be affordable for most Americans. The custom software you would need is probably achievable with a couple hundred dollars of tokens.

mitxela |root |parent [-]

what is a tax index?

elevation |root |parent [-]

It was a speech to text mis-transcription of “full text”.

ChrisArchitect |next |previous [-]

Please change your title to something less declarative like

Ask HN: have you encountered increased login-required for Google search results?

exploraz |root |parent [-]

Yes, I think that's a better title (that I failed to think of when thinking about posting the statement here on HN). Unfortunately, I missed the submission editing time window.

tedchs |next |previous [-]

Does your CGNAT network not support IPv6?

exploraz |root |parent [-]

At this time, not yet. IPv6 used to work for my ISP at my area months ago (still CGNAT IPv4, but with a proper public IPv6 address), so I got less CAPTCHAs at that time. However, I can't seem to get IPv6 working again after a mass outage happened for my ISP, even with (somewhat) relevant IPv6 settings enabled on my router.

musicale |next |previous [-]

They already locked it behind a wall of AI and advertisements.

mitxela |next |previous [-]

May as well just use Kagi

LorenPechtel |next |previous [-]

When connecting from questionable IPs (like VPN exit addresses) Google has been very paranoid for a long time, I don't try.

Unfortunately, the prevalence of scrapers means that anything that could be a scraper is presumed to be so.

ggm |next |previous [-]

As a comment, it feels like the majors have deployed both the victim (search) and the weapon attacking it (ai systems) and now find like all footguns, it has unforseen effects.

"We" are side issues in this. Our channels to state what we want of search and ai are highly constrained and mostly ignored.

We are however why there is any revenue in this overall system. It's because we use it, they can monetize it, and I think this may become important to Google search KPIs and google AI KPIs

hackermailman |next |previous [-]

I've been given the 'there is sus activity from your IP' so often now I gave up using google months ago. Login req is crazy though maybe you persisted so much they forced you to sign up where I simply gave up. I can no longer access Research Gate papers either I get the same bullshit 'weird activity from your IP plz login'

Either there is a AI agent tsunami of shitbots or they saw that x/instagram/reddit all now req logins so some 'growth engineer' at Google said hey about we force everyone to login

heysabique |next |previous [-]

time to switch

iririririr |next |previous [-]

will be their end, because duckduckgo and brave (search, not browser) are better already. this will push people to figure it out.

i now search videos on tiktok instead of YouTube. it's the de facto youtube mirror, which Google never allowed archive.org to be. (albeit, you have to watch it in 3 parts)

ABlockShoes |next |previous [-]

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ollegigeo |next |previous [-]

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