Forget AI. Google just created a version of its search engine free of all the extra junk it has added over the past decade-plus. All you have to do is add "udm=14" to the search URL.
Not going to lie: I have zero regrets about using a profanity in the tagline, which ties into the bigger issues with the âenshittificationâ of products by large companies. (It says âdisenshittificationâ upon the suggestion of Cory Doctorow, coiner of the term, BTW.) I did concede to people who may not want to share that line with their parents or their coworkers and created a safe-for-work version on a different domain, which I kind of like as a brutalist A/B test.
I built this in an hour, using the most basic of tools, and itâs seen an outsized wave of attention since then.
My goal for this, beyond simplifying a confusing search, is to make the &udm=14 code famous, or well-known enough that people are aware of how to work around a dark pattern in Googleâs interface. Given that itâs received upwards of 125,000 views in five days and a wide array of media coverage, I think itâs done well on that front.
My hope is that Google is paying attention to how many people really just want a no-nonsense version of their interface, no AI, knowledge panels, or even ads. Charge for it if you have toâyou already have half the worldâs credit card numbers! Heh.
One note: Itâs listed as open-source, but it actually has a Creative Commons Zero license, effectively putting it in the public domain. If you want to put up your own version with different tags or a different design, feel free.
As someone who values authentic search results, &udm=14 is a breath of fresh air! No more AI bias in my searches, just pure, unfiltered information. It's like the old days of the internet, but with a modern twist. Really enjoying the simplicity and efficiency it brings to my daily routine.
&udm=14
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