Private Search Engines - The Ultimate Guide

[Sampei Nihira]

Private Search Engines - The Ultimate Guide (2019) recently updated by Sven Taylor elects Startpage as the best private search engine.

...Finding the best private search engine for your unique needs is a subjective process and there’s no one-size-fits-all, with many factors to consider. Ideally, a search engine would return great results while also respecting your privacy. Unfortunately, there is often a tradeoff here, so it really comes down to the user and what you determine works best for your situation.

That being said, Startpage earned the title of “best private search engine” for 2019, and we’ll explain why below....

DuckDuckGo vs Starpage

Search results and partnerships

DDG: Sources search results primarily from Bing and Yandex, but also has its own web crawler. DDG has a “strong” partnership with Yahoo.

SP: Sources results from Google, but has policies and anti-tracking methods in place to ensure user privacy.

https://restoreprivacy.com/private-search-engine/

Pale Moon default search engines do not include Startpage.

I set Startpage as my homepage (Obfuscated URL) and default search engine.
I choose to save my personal settings without a cookie.

[Moonchild]

StartPage does not, as I explained before, prevent google's search result bias because they are primarily reverse-proxying. Your results through it will both be influenced by the region the startpage servers are in (likely still the Netherlands, EU), and previous searches performed through them by other users. You may not have a personal bubble with them, but you're still filter-bubbled in other ways. If you are ok with those search bubbles then it may be good but it's a kind of bias I'd like to avoid presenting to users as a default-offered engine.
On top, I'm not happy with funding Google indirectly after the way they treated us. A large chunk of the "sponsored links" revenue on StartPage goes directly to Google because Google pays a pittance for them for being "anonymized", but AdWords doesn't distinguish on the advertiser side.

[Sampei Nihira]

You can choose the servers in the settings:

- Closest / fastest
- EU servers
- US servers

[Moonchild]

You can choose which bubble you prefer

EDIT: I actually put this to the test. I plugged in "Let's make America great again" and the results differ between EU as US servers. The EU servers return a notable result discussing whether MAGA is inherently racist on page 1, while the US servers do not, and have an entry for a Reagan button instead.

I'm sure with more obscure topic you'll find more wildly different results.

[Sampei Nihira]

You can choose which bubble you prefer

EDIT: I actually put this to the test. I plugged in "Let's make America great again" and the results differ between EU as US servers. The EU servers return a notable result discussing whether MAGA is inherently racist on page 1, while the US servers do not, and have an entry for a Reagan button instead.

I'm sure with more obscure topic you'll find more wildly different results.

I do not think so.
The results are very similar.
Obviously you have to set the same language and set:
- Web / picture family filter - Do not filter my results



EU servers:




US Servers:




P.S. I also set the Video family filter to OFF.

[snertev]

Startpage has a more prosaic issue while sourcing its own results from Google database: commercial or trade results are higher than technical or scientific ones in their pages.

[Moonchild]

The results are very similar.

For something as common as that, sure. But they are still not the same, even on the first page of results, meaning it is definitely influenced by which "exit node" is in use to get results from Google. If you want to search something that is more specific to your locale, you may get a bunch of irrelevant results first, as well. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Obviously you have to set the same language and set:
- Web / picture family filter - Do not filter my results

I ran the searches one after the other in the same browser with only the server selection changed. So no, there was no other influence. I repeated the search as well just to make sure it wasn't time sensitive.

[Goodydino]

As for the sponsored links, I do not see them. The ad-blocker seems to remove them.

[rickmv]

Just think for a minute: how can multi billion revenue g00gle can allow some web site to use its web search service? The #1 and most important gservice? What do they get back and how the search results will be provided to further be "anonymized" and stripped from the user info on which they build their web dominance on? And more, the third party being a "competitor" web search service touted everywhere as the most private?

DDG is providing the right search results on the top when looking for some documentation or explanation about the searched terms. SP is returning first results tied to businesses, stores or services, only on 2nd or even 3rd or 4th pages the information looked for.

[van p]

as I explained before

I was involved in that discussion. I went to DDG's site and used its feedback mechanism to ask some questions. I sent 2 or 3 feedbacks and never heard a word from those people. Strange way to treat a potential customer. They ignore me--I ignore them. Simple equation.

[Moonchild]

used its feedback mechanism to ask some questions

Instead of actually just using their forum? Feedback != support.

[Sampei Nihira]

DDG is providing the right search results on the top when looking for some documentation or explanation about the searched terms.

Right for you in English.
For me in Italian they are wrong.
And filtered.
Unless someone explains to me how I can set (without using cookies) my preferences.




If I set up Startpage as my homepage I can do it:



The use of the search engine in the form described by the images is equally problematic.
A guide to doing this would be interesting.

The results with Google are in line with those of Startpage:




And even with the Italian language the results of DuckDuckGo are very different from those of Google for a simple sentence like my daughter's name.
How can I trust this search engine !!

[snertev]

And even with the Italian language the results of DuckDuckGo are very different from those of Google for a simple sentence like my daughter's name.
How can I trust this search engine !!

Startpage uses Google results while DuckDuckGo uses a Bing base + other databases and, I think, it's own web crawler.

Indeed, Startpage is just a proxy for Google.

[van p]

Instead of actually just using their forum? Feedback != support.

I should have received some kind of response, even if just to direct me to their forum.

[Moonchild]

Instead of actually just using their forum? Feedback != support.

I should have received some kind of response, even if just to direct me to their forum.

Not really.
If you e-mail me with a support request there's a good chance you won't get a reply either.

[Sampei Nihira]

And even with the Italian language the results of DuckDuckGo are very different from those of Google for a simple sentence like my daughter's name.
How can I trust this search engine !!

Startpage uses Google results while DuckDuckGo uses a Bing base + other databases and, I think, it's own web crawler.

Indeed, Startpage is just a proxy for Google.

Just look at the Wikipedia results for the name Irene.
Only StartPage and Google indicate the correct search terms:

"Irene is a proper name of a feminine Italian person.........."

DuckDuckGo explains nothing and only shows a list of people named Irene ......

[van p]

I should have received some kind of response, even if just to direct me to their forum.

Not really.
If you e-mail me with a support request there's a good chance you won't get a reply either.

Using a systemic communication method they established is not the same as my contacting, say, the chairman of the board, with an email. I communicated, they ignored. And I'm not sure it should be classified as a "support request." In any event, I, a potential customer, contacted them, and they chose/decided to ignore me. Bad marketing strategy. They easily could have responded, again even if just to direct me to their forum. Their mistake. Case closed.

[Moonchild]

Just look at the Wikipedia results for the name Irene.
Only StartPage and Google indicate the correct search terms:

"Irene is a proper name of a feminine Italian person.........."

DuckDuckGo explains nothing and only shows a list of people named Irene ......

That's a nonsense comparison, you know that.
If you're not being more specific about what you want to know about "Irene", like wanting to know what it means, then it's any one's guess what to return.
I could complain that Google's result is wrong, and that I expected it to give me a report of the Hurricane named Irene.

[Moonchild]

Their mistake. Case closed.

No.
The feedback desk likely doesn't even have the option to respond if it's strictly organized. And people will not escalate a support request sent through the wrong channel.

Your mistake. Case closed.

[Potkeny]

Just look at the Wikipedia results for the name Irene.
Only StartPage and Google indicate the correct search terms:

"Irene is a proper name of a feminine Italian person.........."

DuckDuckGo explains nothing and only shows a list of people named Irene ......

Off-topic:
What is the "correct answer"?
Wikipedia says this: "Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (irini) —the Greek for "peace"." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene
So saying "proper name of a feminine Italian person", while other cultures are using it too, seems misleading?