Google, the tech giant, has incorporated Ethereum Name Service (ENS) data into its search results using information from Etherscan. This update was noticed by Brantly Millegan, a former ENS core team member, who posted about it on X. Cointelegraph verified this feature by testing it with various ENS addresses, including Vitalik.eth, which belongs to Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum.
The search results displayed details about the address, such as the balance of Ether (ETH) and the time of the most recent transaction. This data is sourced from Etherscan, an Ethereum block explorer. The Ethereum Name Service allows users to use user-friendly wallet addresses on the internet, similar to how domains are used. Instead of complicated numbers, users can have an ENS address like yourname.eth, which can be easily shared. This simplifies the process of accessing websites through domains instead of IP addresses.
Google has been increasingly involved with cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. In May 2023, it introduced native support for Ethereum wallet balances. Initially, users could search for a specific public address and view the wallet balance directly in the search results. This functionality has now been expanded to ENS domains.
In 2022, Google integrated a crypto feature that allowed certain Ethereum wallet addresses to have their Ether balances tracked by the search engine, eliminating the need to visit Etherscan. This feature was first made public by Han Hua, a principal at Google Ventures, in a post on October 11, 2022.
Google also showcased its involvement in the crypto space by featuring animated pandas moving in sync as a countdown to the Ethereum Merge event in 2022. Additionally, in 2023, Google updated its crypto advertising policy to include “Cryptocurrency Coin Trusts,” which enable investors to trade shares in trusts holding digital assets. As a result, Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) products from notable asset managers like BlackRock now appear in search results for queries related to “Bitcoin ETF.”
On February 5, ENS announced a partnership with domain registrar GoDaddy, allowing the Web3 community to link their .eth names (domains) to traditional Web2 domains at no extra cost. This partnership with GoDaddy eliminates the previous barrier of high gas fees that discouraged users from migrating their domain names to ENS. ENS achieved this cost-free transition by deploying new smart contracts for resolution, providing DNS domain holders with greater control over their decentralized identities and a new form of self-sovereignty.
Related: The founder of Ethereum Name Service reveals that Vitalik Buterin intervened at the right time in the grant process.
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