09 Oct 2024
fix Google Search
I can’t quite get Google Search back to pre-enshittification, but this is pretty close.
Remove AI crap
This will probably make the biggest change in the layout. Makes the AI material and various other growth hacking stuff disappear from the top of search results pages so it’s easier to get to the normal links.
Firefox: install the udm14 extension. (remove AI from Google Search on Firefox)
Google Chrome: Make a new search shortcut with the udm-14 parameter: Google Search’s “udm=14” trick lets you kill AI search for good - Ars Technica
Vivaldi: Add a search engine in Settings: How I Made Google’s “Web” View My Default Search
Start a blocklist
Some sites are better at SEO than at content and keep showing up in search results. This step doesn’t help the first time that a crap site comes up, but future searches on related topics tend to get better results as I block the over-SEOed sites to let the legit sites rise to the top.
Firefox: Personal Blocklist
Google Chrome: (There is supposed to be an extension like this for Google Chrome too, but I don’t have the link.)
This one gets better as my blocklist grows. If you try this one, be patient.
Turn off ad tracking
If you use Google Search with a Google Account, go to https://myadcenter.google.com/home
and set Personalized Ads
to Off
. This probably won’t
reduce the raw number of ads, but will make it harder for Google to
match you with a deceptive ad targeted at you. (The scam ads are even
impersonating Google now.)
Fix click tracking
Use ClearURLs to remove tracking redirects. (Original Google results were links to sites—now they’re links back to Google which redirects to the sites, collecting extra data from you and slowing down browsing by one step. ClearURLs restores the original behavior. (To me it feels faster but I haven’t done a benchmark.)
Block search ads
This is the next step to try if scam-looking search ads are still getting through.
The FBI recommends Use an ad blocking extension when performing
internet searches.
(Internet
Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Cyber Criminals Impersonating Brands
Using Search Engine Advertisement Services to Defraud Users)
Right now the extension that is best at blocking search ads is uBlock Origin but it takes some work to set it up for blocking search ads but not ads on legit sites. I’ll post instructions when I get that working.
Turn off browser advertising features
These are not used much today, but turning these off will probably
help you get cleaner (less personalized
) search results in
future, so might as well check them.
Bonus links
Hey Google, What’s The Chrome User Choice Mechanism Going To Look Like? (whatever the defaults are, I’ll figure out the right options and post here)
Smart TVs are like “a digital Trojan Horse” in people’s homes (Browsers are a relief after other devices)
Meta smart glasses can be used to dox anyone in seconds, study finds
Project Analyzing Human Language Usage Shuts Down Because ‘Generative AI Has Polluted the Data’