AWS initially introduced Web Search on Amazon Bedrock to ground AI model outputs using data confined within secure AWS environments. The recent update introduced an optional 'external_web_access' parameter, enabling models to fetch live data directly from the public internet. This allows applications requiring up-to-date information, such as sports scores or market prices, to access real-time content while users can disable this feature to keep data strictly within AWS boundaries for sensitive use cases.
The feature is controlled via IAM permissions and is available in select US regions including N. Virginia, Ohio, and Oregon. AWS documentation advises on usage scenarios, guiding when to enable or restrict external web access to balance freshness of results with data residency requirements.
Source & further reading
Launching External Web Access for Web Search on Amazon Bedrock ↗Source published 2026-08-19. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.