Google froze its open source bug bounty program due to a ‘significant rise’ in AI submissions - TechCrunch

Google said the pause took effect on October 1 and would last until next year. The headline of the TechCrunch report attributes the decision to a "significant rise" in AI submissions.

The company said the pause was due to "a significant rise in automated submissions, the vast majority of which are not valid." Google said it would provide "an update" in the first quarter of 2027. Google described the halt as a pause and said an update would follow, rather than announcing the program's closure. The article does not state how many submissions the program received, how many were rejected, or how long the increase had been building, nor what form the promised update will take.

TechCrunch reports the pause as a response to a rise in AI submissions, and quotes Google's statement that the increase was in automated submissions, most of which the company says were not valid. With the program paused as of October 1 and no update promised before the first quarter of 2027, the scheme has no stated reopening date beyond that quarter.