Here are three alternative ethical search engines to choose from

Despite general use of advert blockers, added filters and proxy detours, Google has found a way to track my exact search history and to build up a profile on me. Even though I was not logged in, and strived to create a private opinion bubble around me and my searches; Google had clearly registered me anyway. However, there was a difference when I used a different browser than Chrome on my pc. As it is unclear what data from our Google searches is being used for, it is good that there are alternatives that you will find below. These search engines are doing more to protect your privacy.

Another annoying thing in my case, is that it would be very helpful if Google would stop prioritising Cyrillic answers in the search results it feeds me!

Google searches are saved for years – maybe even for ten years and according to privacy experts, it is not only illegal but also unethical, and it is also unclear where the data is being distributed and for what purpose.

So if you have had enough of Google recording and storing what all users are searching for, and not providing neutral search results, there are alternative private and more neutral search engines.

Qwant

The search engine “Qwant” sells ads based on keywords. Qwant does not build personal profiles on their users or store them. Searches are anonymised, and advertisements are displayed only for each keyword that has been entered. That is what Google did in the beginning until the company found that there was much more money to be had in collecting detailed data about each and every user for targeted/personal ads. In early 2015, Qwant launched the child-friendly search engine QwantJunior.

Findx

Another private search engine is the new Danish search engine Findx. It was just launched in its beta form and will initially be free to use. It is based on the Canadian principle, Privacy by Design, transparency in the open source code and other privacy-focused products such as Open Street Map. It, like the US private search engine DuckDuckGo and Qwant, is trying to earn money from contextual advertising and not filtered search history.

There is great support for the initiative and the need for an open source project from Europe, and not “just” a meta search engine. In addition to the fact that they do not profile people who search with Findx, and therefore cannot direct targeted ads to them, they aim to give the results a touch of human wisdom by letting anyone who wants to report the results they find – and if you are a hard-core tech-whizz you can examine the back-end and make a contribution there too.

StartPage

A third alternative search engine is StartPage from Holland. Due to a licence agreement with Google, StartPage can retrieve data from the Google search index and display results from Google, but StartPage has developed a filter so that one’s search history will not be saved by Google or StartPage.

But how can you trust that? You can because StartPage has chosen to be certified by an independent third party, the German privacy mark Europrise.

Moreover, you might want to try their free proxy that comes with every search result. This is unique to StartPage.com. The StartPage proxy allows you to visit 3rd-party websites privately, too. The 3rd party website won’t be able to see you while you are within the protection of the StartPage proxy or add malware or spyware to your computer.