Google has made a significant change to its search results, eliminating country code top-level domain redirects (ccTLD) to unify its search results globally. This means that users will no longer see the full web address of the search engine when searching for something, as it was previously displayed as ‘google.ng’ for users in Nigeria or ‘google.co.kr’ for those in South Korea.
The company has been working on this since 2017 and believes that ccTLD redirects are no longer necessary. Google assures users that their search results will remain the same, but they may need to re-enter some of their search preferences after the change is implemented. The main goal of this change is to provide a more consistent user experience.
This move has sparked concerns among security-conscious individuals who rely on checking the URL of visited websites to verify legitimacy. Seeing alternative domains such as ‘google.co.kr’ or ‘google.co.br’ can raise suspicions, especially for those unfamiliar with technical details. However, Google emphasizes that this change is intended to improve the overall user experience and may not be a significant concern for most users.
The company’s decision has been met with criticism from some quarters, particularly among tech enthusiasts who rely on such nuances to understand how search engines work. Nevertheless, it is essential to recognize that not everyone is familiar with these technical details or cares about them. Google’s aim is likely to simplify the user experience for the vast majority of users.
The implications of this change will be largely felt by security-conscious individuals and tech enthusiasts who may need to adjust their habits. However, for most people using search engines, this change is unlikely to have a significant impact on their overall experience.
Source: https://www.androidcentral.com/apps-software/google-just-made-the-best-argument-for-hiding-the-url-in-your-browsers-address-bar