Google is the ultimate search engine? Wrong, there are plenty of search engines that offer you same search results if not better. But due to the vast scale of Google, when you need to get information or find something online, chances are you go to Google. However, Google has one big flaw. It traces your browsing history and has been in limelight for it user data scraping methods. It saves your search history, scans your Gmail, tracks your location, keeps everything you say to “OK Google,” and a lot more. If you are using Google, than, Google probably knows a lot better of your digital habits than yourself. Google tracks user data so that it can serve ads that are targeted just for you. Google says, it also saves data to give you better search results which may be quite true. Though Google allows users to opt out of Google’s interest-based ads and lets you delete your search history, it still saves enough user data to create a digital profile. If you are a privacy oriented person or just dont want anybody to sniff your digital life, you can try these three alternative search engines which guarantee privacy to their users.
1. DuckDuckGo
First in the list is DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo has now grown into a solid Google replacement. It doesn’t track user data or target your IP address or search history. The search engine deployed by DuckDuckGo uses nifty algorithms and calculations you’ve come to expect on Google and give you a good search result. You can also customize its interface, with search shortcuts and an Instant Answers feature that’s just as good as, if not better than,Google’s Knowledge Graph. You can also make DuckDuckGo an extension of your browser and activate more privacy settings to keep your search history as protected as possible.
- DuckDuckGo2. Yippy3. Ixquick
2. Yippy
Yippy is a new kid on the block that offers you total privacy in your Internet search. It automatically detects and blocks adult content, including pornography, gambling sites, sex product sites and other websites that are not appropriate for kids. Plus, the site protects your privacy. It will not collect personally identifiable information about you, like your name, telephone number, address and email address. On the flip side, it may collect anonymous information about your IP address. It also uses cookies, which it claims does not track your personal behavior.
3. Ixquick
Ixquick is the latest entrant in the private search engines space. Its USP is that it concentrates totally on giving your very discreet search results. In fact, it calls itself the world’s most private search site. It doesn’t record your IP address, browser information or search history, so advertisers can’t track you. It also gives you the privacy of searching via proxy, so the sites you visit don’t even know your real IP address. This is similar to Tor, but without the hassle of setting it up. Ixquick has relatively good user interface and it’s proxy option gives you the most online privacy. It may slow down your searches, but when you select “proxy,” Ixquick makes you invisible online. It furnishes search results with three options to the Internet user. When you use Ixquick to search for “Techworm.” Your search results will look similar to Google’s, with a list of websites that match your search, but each result has three options: • Click on a link and it takes you to a page as normal, meaning the website can see you. • Choose “Highlight” just to see the basics of a site to decide if you actually want to visit it. • Click “Proxy” and you will remain anonymous to the site you’re visiting. The site will see Ixquick’s IP address, not yours. Just note that it will slow down the site a little. The above three search engines offer the maximum privacy in your search results. If you know any other search engine that offers privacy kindly mention the same in the comments.
