Bullshit
https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/17/google-begins-requiring-javascript-for-google-search/
Mmmm... maybe it's bullshit, but it is also true that the best defense against bots tends to be proof-of-work, which has to be done client-side.
Not an issue for me now... but when I ran sites that were subject to spam, either comments or user accounts, POW methods were the only ones I ever found to be successful at stopping bots. So no Javascript, no joining or commenting.
Static pages are gone, and SEO checking tools don't seem to work anymore
JavaScript now mandatory for Google Search, Google confirms | TechSpot
https://www.techspot.com/news/106421-javascript-now-mandatory-google-search-google-confirms.html
Have you had a look? You can get the search box, but once you submit, it just gives you a page saying how to turn on JS. It's a radical step.
I can't think of any major site that takes that kind of "JS required" action
I hadn't seen it in action yet.