The Best Private Search Engines
Which Search Engine is the best for privacy?
Private search engines won’t track your searches, and in most cases any of your private information. Big search engines can use the data they collect to target you with ads, or charge you more for products you buy online.
Search Encrypt
Search Encrypt is a private search engine, that does not track its users. It uses the internet standard, SSL encryption combined with local encryption to offer perfect forward secrecy. Search Encrypt securely transmits your search terms to its servers and then returns results from many sources.
After you’re done searching, your search terms expire so they are no longer visible in your history. This works to keep your searches private even from other users on your computer.
Privacy is “Search Encrypt’s top priority.” It avoids filter bubbles caused by personalized search results. Rather than building retargeting profiles based on your browsing history, Search Encrypt takes steps to anonymize your data.
Try Search Encrypt’s Extension!
StartPage
StartPage is a metasearch engine that uses Google’s search results. It keeps your searches private by acting as a proxy — Google sees “StartPage” searching, not you. This way no private or personally identifiable information gets sent to Google. Also, StartPage is certified by EuroPriSe, an EU privacy initiative, and by the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
StartPage uses “one cookie called ‘preferences’ to remember your settings for your next visit.” According to StartPage, the cookie is anonymous and expires after 90 days. StartPage offers another unique way to remember your settings, rather than using a cookie, you can use a unique URL that will take you back to a page with your own settings enabled.
StartPage handles all requests to its search engine over HTTPS (SSL Encryption). This prevents anyone monitoring traffic on your network from seeing your search terms. StartPage is a European company which means it falls under some of the strictest privacy laws in the world.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is the most popular private search engine. It recently surpassed 25 million daily searches.
Qwant
Qwant is a search engine based in France “that respects your privacy”. According to its privacy policy, Qwant does not “try to find out who you are or what you are personally doing”. It doesn’t process user data for advertising or other purposes.
A commonality between private search engines, is their inability to show you biased search results based on what you’ve searched for in the past.
Another benefit of Qwant is that it is based in the European Union. This means that it complies with new privacy laws within General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Qwant is governed by French privacy law, “which grants specific rights: right to be forgotten, right to access, right to oppose, right to rectify, or right to suppress incomplete or inaccurate information related to you.”
Searx
Searx is a “privacy-respecting, hackable metasearch engine”. It aggregates results from over 70 search services. Searx does not track or profile its users, and it is available over Tor. Searx is available online, as a public instance, or can be set up locally.
Searx uses POST requests on most browsers, so your searches don’t show up in logs or in your browsing history.
Disconnect Search
Disconnect Search is a private search engine offered by Disconnect which also has a tracker and malware blocker and a VPN. Its search engine lets you search any search engine you want, but through Disconnect — so the big search engines can’t see that your search terms are coming from you, just Disconnect.
Oscobo
Oscobo’s goal is to protect its users’ information from “large corporations and anyone trying to get access to your private information.” This private search engine uses SSL encryption and local encryption so no one can intercept your search queries. Oscobo’s encryption methods allow it to offer perfect forward secrecy.
Discrete Search
Discrete Search is a private search engine that let’s users search the web without giving their search terms away. It uses end-to-end encryption to offer perfect forward secrecy. Discrete Search users can search for anything they want and be confident that their searches will remain just that, discrete.
Want Even More Privacy? Combine One of These Search Engines with a VPN
A VPN can help keep you anonymous from the websites that track your browsing history.
Recommended VPN Providers
Why Should You Use a Private Search Engine?
The search engine market is very one sided. Google has nearly three times the market share of its closest competitor, Chinese search engine Baidu. Allowing one company to collect very complex data from billions of people gives them immeasurable power.
Using one of these alternative search engines helps split up your data between sites, and will keep big search engines from tracking and storing information about your internet use. A private search engine alone can’t keep you completely private online, but it is an easy place to start.
Take back some control of your data, and start using a private search engine! Thanks for reading.
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