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>"At times like that, when getting the result is more important to me than watching my privacy, then I'll use a !g and try Google if I come up dry on Duckduckgo."

Or just use:

https://startpage.com/

and get the same Google results with zero tracking from/by Google. You can have your cake and eat it too.

>"In my experience they are not. Not even close. I wish I could ditch Google"

You can. Just use:

https://startpage.com/

and get the same Google results but without the tracking.

>"The problem with DuckDuckGo is that, when it comes to searching, it simply sucks. I used it as my default search engine for a week, and I had to return to Google"

No you didn't, simply use:

https://startpage.com/

instead. Same Google search results, but through a proxy so Google cannot track you.

StartPage is a privacy oriented Google (and other search engine) proxy.

Errata:

Areology - the study of the outer structure of areola, a part of women's breasts. Borrowed from Latin "areola" (“small vacant space, garden”), diminutive of area. Doublet of "areole".

A link for self-driven research.

http://startpage.com/ - Google search results, no tracking.

I have been using https://startpage.com/ for many years.

I have also been using it for a while and works pretty well. The not-so-good issue is that you are still depending on Google, although only indirectly. Also its results are a somehow-restricted version of what you find in google.com. On the other hand and after having tried quite a few options, there seems to be no real alternative. Perhaps bing.com might eventually get there, but if you are trying to avoid monopolies this wouldn't be a too sensible change.

I find this lack of true alternatives kind of weird, mainly for a so attractive market and when there seems to be lots of money available to spend in long-term projects. It seems even weirder that the few existing alternatives have a low-to-no technical focus; they are either copying existing approaches or directly showing external results. One of the reasons of the original success of Google was precisely caring a lot about technical aspects. Now, it seems that companies are focusing much more on immediately monetising than on having a good enough product. Good for Google, bad for everyone else.

I have been using https://startpage.com/ for many years. Its parent (lxquick) actually predates DuckDuckGo.

I lost count of how many people's machines I have switched to making it their default search engine (and often removing "Google.com" completely AND installing Firefox and making THAT their default browser). Not only is it fast and private, it gives the same Google search results, and doesn't blast users with stupid "G O O G L E" special event animations and mini games and associated junk. Oh, and it never insists you install Chrome for a so-called "better browsing experience" (yeah right; I will stick with Firefox, thank you very much).

They have a mobile app too, but unfortunately, it seems slower AND there is no way [I have found] to make it the system default under Android (surprise, surprise).

I always start with DuckDuckGo (which is basically an anonymized Bing search) and if I don't find what I want I switch to Startpage (which is basically an anonymized Google search).

Or you can just go to Startpage and get the same results without Google's tracking.

Don't get me wrong. I think Google should fry if they're blocking competing search engines from their browser. But:

Google also owns duck.com and points it directly at Google search, which consistently confuses DuckDuckGo users.

They wouldn't be so easily confused if the DuckDuckGo landing page didn't look nearly identical to Google's landing page. Contrast to Bing, Yahoo, Ask, Startpage, Qwant, Yandex (#1 in Russia), Naver (#1 in South Korea). The only other major search engine which makes the same mistake of copying Google too closely is Baidu (#1 in China).

Because there's just so many ways to visually format a search website.

Google also owns duck.com and points it directly at Google search, which consistently confuses DuckDuckGo users.

They wouldn't be so easily confused if the DuckDuckGo landing page didn't look nearly identical to Google's landing page. Contrast to Bing, Yahoo, Ask, Startpage, Qwant, Yandex (#1 in Russia), Naver (#1 in South Korea). The only other major search engine which makes the same mistake of copying Google too closely is Baidu (#1 in China).

>" What's a concerned citizen of the internet to do? Here's one no-brainer: Stop using Chrome and switch to Firefox."

Many of us, myself included, have NEVER used Chrome and still use Firefox on all our systems. Yes, that is a no-brainer if you value your privacy.

In the earlier days of Chrome, Firefox performance stagnated and Chrome was fast and lean. But that was less of a concern to many of us. Still, many switched primarily for that reason (with apparently no concern about closed binaries and privacy). Well, that reason is certainly gone now!

Oh, and make sure to not use http://google.com/ for searching.... another no-brainer. I would recommend http://startpage.com/ or similar. Same results, no tracking.

See subject: A "Westinghouse M-25 Phased Plasma Rifle" by "Sgt. TechCom DN38416 assigned to protect you" via APK Hosts File Engine 10++ SR-1 32/64-bit https://www.startpage.com/rvd/search?query=APK%20Hosts%20File%20Engine&language=auto/

Since "You've been targetted for termination!" & my program's "Microprocessor controlled: Fully armored, VERY tough..."!

Essentially virus proof code via this technique http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=158231&cid=13257227/

Why?

"That terminator (malware) IS out there & "it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear (& it absolutely WILL NOT STOP ever until U R DEAD)"

* "Come w/ me IF u wanna live!"

APK

P.S.=> Terminator 2 intro: "They lived only to face a NEW nightmare - the war against the machines..." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih_l0vBISOE/ vs their logic engines being misused... apk

Other alternatives worth considering: Iridium browser, StartPage search engine. And I prefer Magic Earth for Android offline navigation.
I also use a VPN so I/location can't be tracked (in case a site "needs" to load something from the Google CDN). What also helps in that case is the Decentraleyes addon, which caches CDN content.
Sure it's better to just block everything Google, but it's not always practical.
Oh and don't forget to ditch the Google nameservers, you can try OpenDNS.

You can try Startpage, which is based on google.

I still do better with Google results most of the time, but I get those from Startpage when I need them. DuckDuckGo mostly returns Bing results, Startpage mostly (exclusively?) returns Google results, and between the two of them I can find whatever I need.

But when it comes to search, there is no real vendor lock-in. Don't like Google's search? Think they are blocking relevant results? You can use DuckDuckGo, or Bing, or Yahoo

Or Startpage!

Net Neutrality is only dead in the United States.

It's more like... "no longer enforced at the federal level". But yeah, that still sucks. And it sucks for Europe as well because you're currently reading text that was served to you from the United States.

You may also want to look at StartPage, which produces near identical results to Google but protects your privacy.

I've just commented, but you could try Startpage the search engine that is based on google instead of bing like duckduckgo.

and put Startpage as an alternative.

We already have solutions to turn off Google filter bubble censorship.

https://startpage.com/

https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/
https://duckduckgo.com/

The claims of "no ads, no tracking, no user profiling and we don't collect or share any user data with anyone" is unverifiable and possibly already untrue. It's not wise to put much stock in such claims. This is one of the problems of the modern website: even altruistic admins who want to set up a valuable service that genuinely does not advertise to user, track users, profile users, collect data, or share data about users can't be trusted. StartPage.com and Ixquick.com are websearch sites run by the same organization. This organization makes privacy-minded claims about what it collects about its users but there's no way to know if these claims are honored.

Server-side free software is great for the admins; that's a big step toward letting the site admins control their computers (which everyone deserves to do for their computers). But free server-side software won't help us verify privacy-respecting claims because there's no way a site's users who aren't site admins (in other words, the majority of the site's users) can tell what happens to the data the server gathers or is offered. It's possible Raddle.me runs software that is different from what the site admins acquired before reddit stopped publishing their site's code.

So if Raddle.me uses Javascript, it's very easy for the site to send the visitor code that will track how the site is used, and allow the site to collect more information about users than typically shows up in server logs. And even if Raddle.me doesn't send its visitors Javascript there's plenty of information in server logs to do some profiling, tracking, and make something saleable from that data.

I'll switch my search engine for $1 billion. Paypal only, please.

I won't switch mine. https://www.startpage.com/

You could use Startpage to test this, if you like. Startpage does anonymized Google searches, Duck Duck Go does anonymized Bing searches. This would allow you to compare the two without the personalization handicap.

My anecdotal experience has been the opposite, but I only tend to use Startpage when I can't find what I'm looking for on Duck Duck Go. So there's some confirmation bias there.

Open a private tab and go here:

https://patient.info/doctor/pa...

Now you can take the test, through https and get immediate results without Google's involvement at all, and no tracking, no cookies.

How did I find it? With Google, of course :) But indirectly using http://startpage.com/ in a private tab.

You can use their Start Page Search if you want Google results.

For those that don't know: ixquick.eu if you DON'T want Google results.
ixquick.com or startpage.com if you DO want Google results.

Of course none of the above will track you.

You can use their Start Page Search if you want Google results.

For those that don't know: ixquick.eu if you DON'T want Google results.
ixquick.com or startpage.com if you DO want Google results.

Of course none of the above will track you.

People still use google?

Google's WOPR won't be online until spring.

Google, the only winning move is not to play.

StartPage
NoScript
Privacy Badger
AdBlock Plus

Perhaps one or two suggestions might be useful:

Use https://startpage.com/ instead of Google. They say (and as far as I'm aware truthfully) that they don't store your search history and don't sell what your IP address searched for.

Install an ad-blocker (search for it). Any ad-blocker is better than none at all.

Use NoScript (just search for it) in your browser. Reason: most websites log what you searched for on their site, link that to your IP address, datamine and sell the results. Nothing you can do about that, but websites can run scripts in your browser that make the process easier for them and more intrusive. This way a site has to obtain your permission to run a script. There is a nuisance factor for yourself too because some sites won't display content without running scripts. Then you can decide on a case by case basis if you want to allow it.

Nothing's perfect, but even a leaky umbrella is better than none at all.

Wall street was quite a different place at that time. It wasn't until the late 70's that we became obsessed with short term profit over long term sustainability.

Not late '70s.

August 15, 1971 to be exact.

If you have to have Google searches, at least do it through Startpage.

If you want to avoid Google in your searches use The Ixquick EU page, not "ixquick.com" which also uses Google.

I don't think you realize how much of Googles search function is tailored to you based on the tracking it does.
Try doing a search with startpage and compare it to the results you get form a regular Google search.
If you start injecting noise into Googles tracking then your search results will be like if Bing and Yahoo had a child.

And none of them were from me.

The difference between startpage.com, ixquick.com and ixquick.eu is that SP.com, IQ.com use Google, IQ.eu does not.

thanks: I used DDG because I didn't know this https://startpage.com/ ^^

Duckie should be roughly similar to Bing, since that's where it draws its search results. There might be some differences due to the fact that DuckDuckGo prevents Bing from tracking you, which limits how much the search results can be customised for you.

Give it a try - I hear that it works well (Bing has improved immensely since it first appeared). If you aren't happy with the results and prefer Google's, but still want to avoid being tracked, then try using StartPage. It's an anonymous search engine, like DuckDuckGo, but it uses Google to generate search results, which I find to be better.

Or just use startpage.com.

Very interesting...will check it out! Thanks for the tip!

Or just use startpage.com.

This will help "his dad" get started.

Even their damn name is synonymous with the word search.

Just because you refer to searching as "Googling" doesn't mean that you have to use them for your searches. As I mentioned in another post I use Startpage.com when I want to google for something.

You might try Startpage.com because it doesn't keep track of your IP, does everything over https and doesn't remove punctuation "to get you more results" when you put the quotation marks around a phrase to make sure that you only saw results with the exact phrase. Much better than Google!

>"DuckDuckGo, the privacy-oriented search engine"

Actually, I think of startpage.com as the privacy-oriented search engine. Same results as Google, but no Google tracking and it is NOT hosted in the USA. I have been using it for years now.

https://classic.startpage.com/...

startpage.com works reasonably well and doesn't try to outsmart you too much; I find it works well for error messages. They also don't track you, so that's nice.

-twitter -tweet

Even if i think that it is seriously problematic to include "twitter/tweets" in searches, i understand that more sources available to search is usually not a bad thing; BUT i have serious problems with excluding terms in Google, i.e., this "-" thing does not always work (i can even claim that "often does not work") - and it (as the other logic operators) used to work always for me in the pre-Google era...

Actually this is my major criticism for Google: i want my logic operators back.

Another Slashdot user pointed this out to me:

On your search results, go Search tools->All Results->Verbatim.

I like the search engine "StartPage" (Google results minus the tracking) but browsers seem to be getting broken as far as adding custom search engines.
https://startpage.com/

no!

https://startpage.com!

startpage.com is my go-to search engine. No, it doesn't index as much as Google, but I usually find what I want. I can still fall back to Google if needed; I feel that need maybe once a year.

Also, startpage uses neither cookies nor JavaScript by default and claims to be "the world's most private search engine".

adblock and noscript take much of that out, and what they miss, greasemonkey userscripts to the rescue. don't forget a referrer blocker/modifier browser addon too....

or you can just use ddg, sp, or ix instead of bing, yahoo, or google web search.

I'd pay for a search engine which is regularly third party audited to make sure no advertising, tracking or logging.

This search engine may meet your requirements and interest you:

https://eu.startpage.com/uk/ab...