Startpage steals the top position in our list of best private search engines. Are private search engines really private? We are revealing all the facts to you today.
Whether you are a business owner or just an individual, the security of your data is very important. But do you know that your data is being tracked by big search giants like Google, Yahoo bing, etc
Without a doubt, we can say that Google tops the list while YouTube is in the second position in this breaching process. These search engines grab as much information as they can and we let them do so. We often think that using their incognito mode can give us privacy but that doesn’t even give the level of privacy we need. There is an alternative to these data collector factories which are private search engines. But before knowing about them let’s first see how these search engines work?
How Does A Search Engine Work?
By search engine, we mean internet search engines which are web applications that enable you to search the World Wide Web and get you required results. There are providers who index their sites on the database from which the result or information is fetched.
What Is A Private Search Engine?
We have already established the fact that search engine giants are collecting our personal information like financial information, our search history, which results we click on to, they even login to our IP address, and much more.
With all this data they create a profile of our browsing personality and these profiles are then sent to advertisers for billions of dollars a year. This is how we get those ads of the things we have searched for.
To save our data from stealing, we must use other search engines other than those search giants. This is where smaller search engines come into play that do not log into your IP. They don’t track your personal data and search queries. Therefore, they are also called private search engines.
We have done quite a bit of research and gathered a list of private search engines. They might not be as common and famous as the search giants. But they are worth the shot as they are going to let you scroll through the internet without breaching any personal information and exposing you to potential security risks. So, read on further to know these private search engines that are best at their jobs.
1. StartPage
StartPage is a Netherlands-based company that claims to be the world’s most private search engine. It recognizes its position that it cannot surpass Google. This is the reason why it uses the power of Google. But they make sure that user information is not shared in the process. It gives a Google-like experience because it pays Google to use its algorithm. But as mentioned above, it removes the tracking and advertising that comes along with it. Therefore, it bases its claim on this fact that it will never store and sell any kind of user experience.
2. DuckDuckGo
One of the best private search engines is DuckDuckGo with a detailed and transparent privacy policy. It claims to not save any search histories. Also, a good feature is that you can save your settings in the cloud. It gives you the option to limit your search by region. It works by fetching information from over 400 sources, like Google and Yahoo.
3. Yippy.com
Yippy is another good search engine on our radar, where you can look up any content such as web, news, blogs, etc. It has a feature where you can manually filter out the result according to different niches or categories. It neither stores any user experience nor shows any advertisement. But like Google, you can view cached pages. Also, you can mark any result which seems inappropriate to you.
4. Search Encrypt
Search encrypt is another one from the list of best private search engines which protect your searches by using local encryption. It uses AES-256 encryption with Secure Sockets Layer encryption. It has a network id search partners from which the search results are retrieved. It has a policy of expiring search terms after you are done searching. So, not only you will be secured from data fetching by search engines but also if others have access to your computer, then you will also be protected by them.
Some experts say that it is better than DuckDuckGo as it has more features like privacy-friendly video, news, and maps search. So, you can watch directly on the search engine without dozens of ads.
5. Ecosia
Ecosia, as its name suggests, is related to eco somehow. It is a normal search engine with ads but all the money that is raised is used to do the most eco-friendly tasks which are to plant trees. In other words, whenever you are searching for anything on it then you are aiding in plantation somewhere in the world
But don’t worry because Ecosia will not sell your data because it encrypts the searches and anonymizes the search data within a week. You can even opt-out of the small amount of data that it stores by default. So, it is a safe and greener option.
6. Searx
Searx is totally open-source software therefore a lot of contributions can be made to make it better. It is a Meta search engine but it erases any kind of identifying data from your search so that the search giants like Google won’t be able to gather any data. It neither stores nor shares anything with the third party.
7. Disconnect Search
This search engine also does not track anything. It also utilizes the content search assistance feature from Google and others but it doesn’t store or track your IP or search queries.
A different approach of this engine as compared to others is to offer a premium VPN at $50 per year and a privacy browser as an offer.
8. Gibiru
It uses a modified Google algorithm for its search results. Its CEO, Steve Marshall is pretty outspoken against Google and claims that Gibiru is faster than NSA search engine because it doesn’t install any tracking cookies and personalization on your desktop
Conclusion
Search engine giants are continuously improving their tracking abilities and what are we doing about it? We are letting them grab any piece of information as they please. Also what about ISPs and NSA intrusion in our privacy?
Our privacy is at risk because we are continuously sharing our information with third parties on the internet. Therefore, a safer option to do your haunting is to use private search engines because they don’t track any kind of information. So, it’s better to be safe and use the best private search engines. It is the only way which makes you and your search queries protected.
