Google is Holding Schools Hostage. (This is Not Okay)
Cal Newport breaks down Google's decision to cut off Google Search for schools that turn off its AI tools. He argues the move is a money-driven bluff and explains how schools and parents can push back.
The gist
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Google turned AI tools off by default in education apps used in over 60,000 K-12 schools, but opting out also cuts off Google Search.
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Newport rejects Google's claim that search and AI can't be separated, showing that adding "&udm=14" to a Google search URL removes AI overviews.
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He urges schools to switch now to noai.duckduckgo.com, a privacy-focused search engine with no AI summaries and a setup guide for managed Chromebooks.
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Newport says antitrust suits may struggle after the Penske Media v. Google dismissal, while 16 state legislatures have proposed or passed classroom edtech limits.
Cal Newport recommends it
"This is what I think schools should do right away. The right away what you do is switch over to DuckDuckGo. It is a search engine that is meant with privacy in mind. It does not collect data from your searches to try to build a data profile of you... They're happy to give you ..."
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"This is what I think schools should do right away. The right away what you do is switch over to DuckDuckGo. It is a search engine that is meant with privacy in mind. It does not..."
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