Google Groups ending support for Usenet

Alan Ralph

2023-12-15 09:58:55 UTC

The big blue alien tacks the following on the noticeboard:

https://support.google.com/groups/answer/11036538?visit_id=638381921477344227-87081626&p=usenet&rd=1

Starting on February 22, 2024, you can no longer use Google Groups

(at groups.google.com) to post content to Usenet groups, subscribe to
Usenet groups, or view new Usenet content. You can continue to view and
search for historical Usenet content posted before February 22, 2024 on
Google Groups.

In addition, Google’s Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) server

and associated peering will no longer be available, meaning Google will
not support serving new Usenet content or exchanging content with other
NNTP servers.

...
Why is Google Groups support for Usenet ending?
Over the last several years, legitimate activity in text-based Usenet

groups has declined significantly because users have moved to more
modern technologies and formats such as social media and web-based
forums. Much of the content being disseminated via Usenet today is
binary (non-text) file sharing, which Google Groups does not support, as
well as spam.

Left unsaid, for perhaps obvious reasons, is Google's role in
facilitating said spam.

I can highly recommend Eternal September (https://eternal-september.org)
if you're looking for a new Usenet home.

—Spiffy