Google Search

Louis Rossmann, a YouTuber, demonstrated in videos posted on January 30 and February 12, 2026, that Google Search's SEO has been modified to penalize websites without AI-generated text, and that adding such text can boost a site to the top of results. In May 2026, security engineer Berk Albayrak discovered a malvertising campaign on Google Search that targeted Mac users searching for "Claude download Mac," with ads disguised as official Claude installation instructions that delivered malware to steal user information and control machines.

Presence of malicious websites and ads on search results | ← Older revision | Revision as of 17:54, 18 August 2026 | || | Line 39: | Line 39: | || On January 30, 2026, Louis Rossmann uploaded a video on YouTube <ref {{cite web |first=Louis |last=Rossmann |title=Google is killing authentic websites & I made it worse 😔 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II2QF9JwtLc |url-status=live |website= YouTube |date=30 Jan 2026 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=II2QF9JwtLc |archive-date=31 Jan 2026}}</ref evidencing how Google Search {{Wplink|Search engine optimization|SEO}} Search Engine Optimization has been modified to penalize web sites that do not contain AI-generated text. On February 12, he uploaded another video, showing how he managed to make his website the first on the search results page by adding AI-generated text to the site.<ref {{cite web |first=Louis |last=Rossmann |title=I'm 1 on google thanks to AI BULL💩 - the modern internet is a joke. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uKZ84zwJI0 |url-status=live |website= YouTube |date=12 Feb 2026 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=6uKZ84zwJI0 |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref | On January 30, 2026, Louis Rossmann uploaded a video on YouTube <ref {{cite web |first=Louis |last=Rossmann |title=Google is killing authentic websites & I made it worse 😔 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II2QF9JwtLc |url-status=live |website= YouTube |date=30 Jan 2026 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=II2QF9JwtLc |archive-date=31 Jan 2026}}</ref evidencing how Google Search {{Wplink|Search engine optimization|SEO}} Search Engine Optimization has been modified to penalize web sites that do not contain AI-generated text. On February 12, he uploaded another video, showing how he managed to make his website the first on the search results page by adding AI-generated text to the site.<ref {{cite web |first=Louis |last=Rossmann |title=I'm 1 on google thanks to AI BULL💩 - the modern internet is a joke. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uKZ84zwJI0 |url-status=live |website= YouTube |date=12 Feb 2026 |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=6uKZ84zwJI0 |archive-date=12 Feb 2026}}</ref | || ===Presence of | ===Presence of malvertising on search results=== | || {{Wplink|Malvertising}} is the malicious practice of advertising malware, disguising it as a genuine or harmless piecce of software. With the integration of ads on the Google search engine, along with the lack of proper moderation, malvertising has become more common on the search engine over time. | ||| A notorious case of malvertising was discovered during May 2026. Berk Albayrak, a security engineer, found and shared information about a malicious advertisement targeted to Mac users that could appear on sponsored results when searching "Claude download Mac" on Google. This ad contained instructions for downloading and running commands to activate a malicious program created to steal user's information and control their machine, that were disguised as genuine installation instructions. A particular aspect about this malvertising case, is that attackers advertised their malware using the official Claude website.<ref {{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Ax|date=10 May 2026 |title=Hackers abuse Google ads, Claude.ai chats to push Mac malware|url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-abuse-google-ads-claudeai-chats-to-push-mac-malware/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260515154002/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-abuse-google-ads-claudeai-chats-to-push-mac-malware/ |archive-date=2026-05-15 |access-date=2 Jun 2026 |website=BleepingComputer}}</ref <ref {{Cite web |last=Hawkins |first=Josh |date=11 May 2026 |title=Malware is now hiding in Google search ads — here's how to protect yourself |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/protect-yourself-from-malware-hiding-google-search-ads/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260519181853/https://www.makeuseof.com/protect-yourself-from-malware-hiding-google-search-ads/ |archive-date=2026-05-19 |access-date=2 Jun 2026|website=Make Use Of}}</ref | ||| ===Integration of AI features onto the search engine ''2023'' === | ===Integration of AI features onto the search engine ''2023'' === |