Google’s new search redirects make links harder to check before you click

Google has implemented a new search result linking system that uses redirects through a `google.com/goto?url=...` format, obscuring direct access to destination URLs. This change aims to reduce abuse by making it harder to collect URLs in bulk, although Google has not specified the specific forms of abuse being targeted. Users can no longer hover over links to check the destination, which raises security concerns, as the visible links display encoded redirects rather than actual URLs.

This alteration affects not only malicious practices but also legitimate services such as SEO tools and research platforms that depend on extracting URLs from search results.