Five rival Google search engines that promise more privacy

Five rival Google search engines that promise more privacy

Google is the most popular search engine in the world, but it may fall short in the face of other services of its kind with regard to privacy and data usage of users. Every time someone searches, the search engine stores information such as an IP address (capable of revealing the person’s location) and cookies, a tool that stores navigation data in order to speed up future access to the page.

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In addition, Google uses search to display related ads and provides the Internet provider with the content that the user searches for on the site, information that, again, is used for targeted advertisements. For those who want to escape from tracking and sharing data, it is possible to opt for other search engines, which are also very efficient and have privacy as their banner.

READ: Far beyond Google: Baidu, Qwant, Bing, Yahoo! and more online search engines

1 of 6 Google records and shares user data – Photo: Playback / Search Engine Land

Google records and shares user data – Photo: Playback / Search Engine Land

DuckDuckGo is famous for its commitment to protecting privacy. The site uses 400 sources to find the results (Google is not included) and claims not to collect or share personal information. The privacy policy clarifies that the service does not store the IP data of users, which are automatically informed by the browser, and does not use cookies. The tool doesn’t even know who uses it, making it impossible to relate one search to another.

2 of 6 DuckDuckGo uses the results of more than 400 search engines – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

DuckDuckGo uses the results of more than 400 search engines – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

The company also informs that, yes, it saves research, but never in order to identify who carried it out. The goal is to use them to self-improve, as in the correction of typos. The company also admits to using affiliate codes for some e-commerce services, since they receive a small commission if a purchase is made from a search made on the page. Again, the brand claims not to share personally identifiable information.

StartPage (startpage.com) calls itself the most private search tool in the world. According to its privacy policy, in January 2009 it became the first service of its kind not to save IP addresses. Unlike DuckDuckGo, StartPage uses Google in searches, sending the query anonymously to the engine and then returning the result to the user.

3 of 6 StartPage allows you to search Google without taking risks – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

StartPage allows you to search Google without taking risks – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

The engine does not track data and uses what it calls «good cookies», which only store search preferences, in a completely unidentified manner – which expires after 90 days. The website claims that monetization occurs through «a small number of clearly identified sponsored links». Start Page also gives tips on how to browse privately, as a way to keep your data protected even out of service.

With the slogan “The search engine that respects your privacy”, Qwant has its servers located in France, benefiting from the most stringent data protection laws in the European Union. Thus, when searching, the user’s query is disassociated from his IP address, making it anonymous. Right on the main page, the search engine claims not to use cookies or store any search history.

4 of 6 Qwant does not save search history – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

Qwant does not save search history – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

The company also informs that it does not take advantage of any resource that allows the tracking of browsing data or trying to discover the user’s identity. According to the privacy policy, when it is necessary to collect information, it is not sold for commercial use or any other purpose, but applied exclusively to feedback to Qwant’s services.

SearX (searx.me) is a metabuser, that is, a service that aggregates the results of several search tools in one place, without saving information about the user. Queries are made using a request type that leaves no record of content or history. The responsible company also affirms its commitment to not share any data with third party applications. Search engine settings also allow you to select which search platforms to use and feel even more protected.

5 of 6 SearX – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

SearX – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

Self-styled as the most privacy-oriented search engine, Peekier (peekier.com) reports that it does not store any personally identifiable data, such as an IP address or browser user. It also does not use cookies and only saves information about searches for the purposes of caching, statistics and service improvements.

6 out of 6 Peekkier is oriented towards users’ privacy – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

Peekkier is oriented towards the privacy of users – Photo: Reproduction / Taysa Coelho

«We do not use analysis tools, social buttons, external Content Delivery Network (CDNs) or any other service that collects user data,» says Peekier. The only exceptions are embedded videos, since YouTube media can be opened directly on the service. Since Google’s video platform uses tracking and targeted advertising through cookies, this goes against Peekier’s rules.

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