Why are there no flags to set default search engine provider or disable search engines?

[guest271314]

I can set the default search provider in chrome://settings/searchEngines by clicking the Add button adjacent to the Site search section, then setting that engine as the Default search engine. 

I don't see any way to do that programmatically using flags. Something like 

--default-search-engine=url%s

and

--disable-search-engine=gemini

would suffice. 

[Joe Mason]

Because programmatically overriding the default search engine behind the user's back is a favourite tactic of malware.

If you build a chromium-based browser for personal use, you're welcome to add such a flag, but in a browser that's meant for public distribution it would be open to abuse.

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[guest271314]

> Because programmatically overriding the default search engine behind the user's back is a favourite tactic of malware.

I don't see how something can be done behind the users' back re setting flags.

> If you build a chromium-based browser for personal use, you're welcome to add such a flag, but in a browser that's meant for public distribution it would be open to abuse.

I develop using Chromium Developer Build. I don't see how there could possibly be any "abuse".

If anything Google abuses the Omnibox to automatically search using Google Search by default, with another "Search with Lens" search engine on by default. There's also Gemini search activated by default that I don't have any interest in that I have to deactivate.

I don't want either of those on by default, so whatever I type can be harvested by Google.

I know how to get rid of each of those. That requires manually getting rid of Google's search engines that are activated by default in chrome:settings. How to set a user-defined default search engine (and custom new tab page) in Chromium browser.

Some might say that Google itself is the malware contributor in Chromium browser re "search services".

Ironically, I'm trying to demonstrate a child can change the default Google Search engine, if they don't want everything they type in the address bar (Omnibox) to be assumed to be a search queary for Google Search, or Google Gemini, or Google Lens, re U.S. vs. Google LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-03010-APM andU.S. vs. Google LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-03715-APM. Where the U.S. Government is full on claiming that Google is operating an unfair monopoly on "search services" and advertising related to "search services". 

 

[guest271314]

How about turning off all "search services" (Google Search, Search with Lens, Gemini Search, etc.) by default?

 Let the user decide if they want to search at all in the browser, and which search engines to use or not use, with flags?

That programmatic use of flags couldn't be "abused", right?

[Keith I Myers]

You could use a Chrome Managed Policy to accomplish this 

{

  "DefaultSearchProviderEnabled": true,

  "DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL": "https://kmyers.me/?a={searchTerms}",

  "DefaultSearchProviderName": "Custom Search",

  "DefaultSearchProviderKeyword": "search"

}

{

  "SearchSuggestEnabled": false,

  "DefaultSearchProviderEncodings": ["UTF-8"],

  "DefaultSearchProviderAlternateURLs": [],

  "DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL": "",

  "DefaultSearchProviderImageURL": "",

  "DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL": "",

  "DefaultSearchProviderImageURLPostParams": "",

  "DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURLPostParams": "",

  "DefaultSearchProviderSearchURLPostParams": "",

}

On Windows, the following registry keys should work 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome]

"DefaultSearchProviderEnabled"=dword:00000001

"DefaultSearchProviderName"="Custom Search"

"DefaultSearchProviderKeyword"="search"

"DefaultSearchProviderSearchURL"="https://kmyers.me/?a={searchTerms}"

"SearchSuggestEnabled"=dword:00000000

"DefaultSearchProviderEncodings"="UTF-8"

"DefaultSearchProviderAlternateURLs"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURL"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderImageURL"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderNewTabURL"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderImageURLPostParams"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderSuggestURLPostParams"=""

"DefaultSearchProviderSearchURLPostParams"=""

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/d/msgid/chromium-dev/b9ed7660-85e5-4895-91f1-4618575ca85en%40chromium.org.

[guest271314]

Thanks. I have a policy file I'm using already. I'll poke around in the Chrome Management documentation.

Is there a way to programmatically *disable* Google Lens Search and *deactivate* Google gemini Search?

[Keith I Myers]

I believe the following values should work for that 

{

  "GoogleVisualSearch": {

    "Value": false

  },

  "SidePanelVisualSearch": {

    "Value": false

  }

}

{

  "GenAIEnabled": false,

  "SidePanelPredictionsEnabled": false

}

[guest271314]

Where did you locate the "GoogleVisualSearch", "SidePanelVisualSearch", "GenAIEnabled" keys? SearchSuggestEnabled key shows up in chrome://policy. I'm seeing GoogleVisualSearch is an unknown policy and an error for SidePanelVisualSearch.