Google has removed ‘View Image’ Button and made few changes in the image search area.
The Tech giant, Google has made a big change in how its search results appear and the internet users are infuriated. Google announced a few changes to its image search on Thursday, which included the removal of ‘View Image’ button from image search.
Today we're launching some changes on Google Images to help connect users and useful websites. This will include removing the View Image button. The Visit button remains, so users can see images in the context of the webpages they're on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018
A lot of internet users are enraged by the changes that Google has brought in the image search area, as it was the ultimate go-to source for images for them.
The button used to appear when users clicked on a picture and would let them view just the image, instead of having to visit the whole website that owns the image. Google clarified that the change came about as a result of a settlement it reached with Getty Images. Getty Images is an American stock photo agency that sells photographers’ works.
Google tweeted on Thursday saying that the changes “are designed to strike a balance between serving user needs and publisher concerns, both stakeholders we value.”
For those asking, yes, these changes came about in part due to our settlement with Getty Images this week (see also https://t.co/a5uFldOcih). They are designed to strike a balance between serving user needs and publisher concerns, both stakeholders we value.
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018
In 2016, Getty Images had filed a complaint against Google to the European Union claiming that the company’s image search promoted piracy. Getty Images told Time that having easy access to high-resolution photos through Google Images means “there is little impetus to view the image on the original source site.”
Now that Google has removed ‘View Image’ button, it is a great update for photographers and websites who were complaining about the ‘view image’ feature encouraging internet users to steal their work without giving credit.
However, it will surely annoy users who will now have to go through the entire website and find the photo they want to use. The pain doesn’t lessen here; some websites disable right-clicking on the images they upload, meaning it could make it particularly difficult for users to obtain a specific image.
Google also announced on Thursday that it had taken away the “Search by Image” button as well. However, it noted that reverse image search through the Google Image search bar still worked.
The Search by Image button is also being removed. Reverse image search *still works* through the way most people use it, from the search bar of Google Images.
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) February 15, 2018
What do you think about the changes brought in the image search area by Google? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Reference: Engadget
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