Google Introduces Bitcoin Wallet Balance Searches, Privacy Questions Emerge

Google now indexes Bitcoin and other blockchain data.

Users can now see their token balance, recent transactions, and the last time their wallets were updated in the search results by simply inputting their wallet addresses.

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Alongside Bitcoin, this new feature involves several other blockchains, including Arbitrum, Avalanche, Fantom, Optimism, and Polygon.

It supports three Bitcoin address formats: P2PKH, P2SH, and Bech32.

Although this incorporation has enhanced accessibility to blockchain activities, it has raised concerns about personal privacy and centralized data collection.

This news follows Google's earlier ventures into crypto, such as including Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domain search results and tracking Ethereum wallet balances.

Various partnerships and initiatives have also marked Google's engagement with the crypto sector. For example, the tech giant has collaborated with crypto exchange Coinbase to allow cloud service payments using crypto.

The firm has also recently updated its policy to allow advertising of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This shift came shortly after the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved several spot Bitcoin ETFs.

As Google continues expanding its footprint in crypto, the dialogue around privacy and the role of large tech corporations in the decentralized world will likely intensify.