The best search engines?

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by bellgamin, May 27, 2022.

  1. zmechys

    zmechys Registered Member

    A few months ago, I went through all those above mentioned search engines and, eventually, decided that I don't need them - for various reasons.
    Currently, I use DDG (with Firefox) and Brave's beta with Brave.
    When I really need something, I use Google.
    Nothing could match Google at this moment, but...
    I always use this/that VPN; therefore, I don't care what kind of information google is gathering on me.
     
  2. Bertazzoni

    Bertazzoni Registered Member

    I use Brave but also Startpage for better results. Startpage results are closer to Google's, which I believe was @JasonUK intended meaning. The symbol " ~ " means approximately equal. And Brave's adblocker blocks Startpage ads. ;):cool:
     
  3. Surt

    Surt Registered Member

    I agree agreed...(page 1 #7)
    And...
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2022
  4. Chuck57

    Chuck57 Registered Member

    I've been using MetaGer for the past few months. No complaints so far.
     
  5. Surt

    Surt Registered Member

    As ANY properly configured ad blocker should do, Brave browser or not, as ads are served through google adsense.

    Startpage KB & Blog pull quotes:
    "The ads we show are served through Google AdSense."
    "You get ads based on your search query, not your personal data."

    The AdGuard Firefox extension cuts 'em off.
    aCapture002457.jpg
    Prior to AdGuard, I used Palant's Adblock Plus and EasyList. I've never seen ads on the Startpage or on results pages.

    Startpage makes no connection to google itself. In my location, everything Startpage does is served through Hurricane Electric Internet Services.

    BTW: this is what a custom Startpage URL looks like:
    https://us.startpage.com/do/mypage.pl?prfe=ced171180...158 characters long.
    I've been using one since 2009 when I had to migrate it from the one I used in ixquick.
     
  6. Brummelchen

    Brummelchen Registered Member

    this is helpful, if you do not keep startpage cookies where that parameter is put, the token contains your settings, will not be shown in further searches, its a hidden parameter. problem - you need to start that link with that parameter otherwise you do not have your settings used. with a new search (click image upper left) the parameter is lost!
    for firefox you can add custom searches
    browser.urlbar.update2.engineAliasRefresh <-- true
    and insert that string (similar for custom search extensions, context search whatever)

    btw startpage is still nosy, although you filter ads or not.
     
  7. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

    WOW!!! This link is a gold mine of information about several excellent search engines. Many thanks @Sampei Nihira :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::-*
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    AT EVERYONE -- Try a search for "computer security forum" & see if you get hits for wilders & malwaretips & bleeping forums.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2022
  8. Moose World

    Moose World Registered Member

    Salutations/Greetings,
    Take a look at you .com
     
  9. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

    Smacks of a relationship to Google's youtube. No?
     
  10. Moose World

    Moose World Registered Member

    Understand, what about gibiru .com

    thoughts and/or opinions :)?


    https:// www.
    ghacks.net/2022/04/14/a-quick-look-at-the-new-search-engine-you-com/
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2022
  11. Sampei Nihira

    Sampei Nihira Registered Member

    :thumb:
     
  12. Quassar

    Quassar Registered Member

    So summary privacy and search engine - choose one :argh::p or choose for who you gonna work, where your data will fly :rolleyes:
    USA gov = choose google - Rest pseudo search engines for sure also go to USA but on around by sending data to other services btw.
    RUS gov = choose Yandex

    So at last if you cant protect fully data at last chose side :oops: and limit it to minimum :thumbd:

    If you will try use VPN you fail same as with those pseudo privacy search engine.
    Your data will move to other unknown Vendor and this service still can share your traffic to same and more other vendors which you try bypass.
    Final result more services will know about you than before.
    And VPN dont warrant you 100% hide because there is other telemetry behind scene which can unhide you... IP is not only one thing which can be used to monitor your activity.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2022
  13. Oldie1950

    Oldie1950 Registered Member

    If you want to protect your privacy and data, you must not connect your PC to the Internet. Looking at Glasswire's logs of Internet traffic, any effort to control the flow of data reminds me of trying to scoop out the ocean with a sieve. I therefore use Google as a search engine, because in my experience it offers the greatest search success.
     
  14. summerheat

    summerheat Registered Member

    A VPN doesn't mean that Google cannot identify you by various fingerprinting methods. Unless you implement additional counter measures.

    That said, I'm currently using https://searx.tiekoetter.com/ from https://searx.space/ which works very well and includes Google search results.
     
  15. Sampei Nihira

    Sampei Nihira Registered Member

    I decided to give Start Page a chance.
    I added the search engine to Thunderbird and made it the default.

    Short-lived experiment.

    I will then decide whether to change DDG to Start page in the browser + search engine to default (but I'm almost certainly staying with DDG).
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2022
  16. Antarctica

    Antarctica Registered Member

    Totally agree with you. Once you connect to the Internet, your privacy is doomed:(
     
  17. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

    slightly ot but does anybody know how to stop google search from determining your location when you're logged out?

    image.jpg
     
  18. Quassar

    Quassar Registered Member

    80% websites also use google thier scripts and other, so even after swap search engine most sites still watch you for google and not only..
     
  19. Azure Phoenix

    Azure Phoenix Registered Member

  20. Sampei Nihira

    Sampei Nihira Registered Member


    Is the location correct?
    Are you really in California?

    It would probably be better to disable geolocation.

    I don't use Google,but in my case it indicates "Lombardia",but my region is "Toscana".
    Over 400 km of error.


    1.jpg
     
  21. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

    Agreed. And if you carry a smartphone it's even worse. Most search engines are google, bing, or have trackers from one of them attached to it. I was going to say if you want privacy go live with the Amish, but most of them carry smartphones these days. If I could build a time machine and go back 100 years that might be tempting.
     
  22. plat

    plat Registered Member

    No, I was unaware of this, thank you for sharing this. I will have to try it sometime.

    Honestly though, I'll stick with DDG for the meantime. The search engine. Not the browser.
     
  23. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

    hi, sam. the problem here is not whether it's determined correctly or not but it being "based on your past activites" even when you're logged out.
     
  24. imdb

    imdb Registered Member

  25. StillBorn

    StillBorn Registered Member

    For any given topic, Google won't outshine anything the given combination of Qwant and Metager offers in terms of both quantity and quality of information. Sure, it may a bit of a pita juggling two tabs vs Google.
    On the other hand, I'll juggle the tabs as opposed to a query engine that knows every search you've made since day__ and will be hell bent on connecting the dots in algorithms determining your birthday, religious leanings or lack thereof, place of birth,
    and your sexual preference for the sake of selling you off-- bit by bit--- byte for byte in the name of a few dollars or less. Yeah, let's learn how to encrypt and defend ourselves against ransomware while surrendering to one of the most offensive privacy leaches of all time because it's convenient.
    Thanks but...I'll pass.:rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2022
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