The Best (and Worst) Search Engines for Privacy
Thanks to the Internet, we have all the world’s information at the tips of our fingers. But there are safe and unsafe ways to access this information based on which search engine Internet surfers use. Before browsing, consider this guide to the best and worst search engines to use for privacy.
What is a search engine?
A search engine is a program that searches and locates items in a large pool of information, called a database, for information that aligns with keywords or characters specified by the users. These services can also be known as user agents or software that gathers and presents content for users. Google Search, Yahoo!, and Bing are popular examples of search engines.
A metasearch engine, also known as an aggregator, is a search engine that transfers search queries to several search engines like Google, either aggregating the results into a master list or sorting the results by the search engine they come from. Metasearch engines allow a user to enter one question and will pull results from several different sources and search engines.
The difference between a search engine and a metasearch engine is that a search engine, like Google, will pull exclusively from its pool of computer data while a metasearch engine, like Skyscanner, will pull from several search engines and find more detailed responses.
These search engines, while helpful to millions of people every day, are known to collect users’ personal data to better cater information and serve targeted ads to their social media and on their search results page. Therefore, knowing which search engines do - and don't - protect your privacy is crucial.
The best search engines for privacy
Using a private search engine can completely change the game when it comes to your privacy and identity online. Many search engines track your user data and metrics along with basic personal information. These three search engines, however, take the users' privacy into consideration more than most.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo, as one of the most widely used alternative search engines, claims to not collect or store any user data. The service functions as a browser extension and doesn’t track search history allowing for private browsing without having to alter activity controls.
The software allows users to have a blank search history and doesn’t store anything that can tie searches to a specific user, unlike Google, Bing, and Yahoo!.
While this search engine provides safety for its users, it might not offer the most detailed search results. There have also been suspicions that the platform does not block all Microsoft trackers due to DuckDuckGo’s privacy deal with Microsoft. DuckDuckGo did acknowledge this privacy breach after its discovery, but made no mention of revising the software to prevent the collection of user information.
While this search engine is significantly better than Google, there still might be a chance of user data being misused.
Searx
Searx is an open-source metasearch engine that draws its search results from over 80 search engines while still maintaining user security. The search engine is very customizable, and users can change their search and privacy settings according to their preferences. It submits searches without cookies or users’ private information.
That way, the search engines don't have access to a user's IP addresses, locations, and phone numbers. This helps protect the user's privacy while still providing information on the web.
Brave
Brave standard search engine does not track search queries or your personal information. Like DuckDuckGo, the program is free to download and blocks online ads from appearing on sites. Brave does not collect any user data. It has made its mission keeping users’ data safe from big tech companies like Google and Microsoft.
Brave is among the safest search engines and provides fast search results while keeping user information safe.
The worst search engines for privacy
Unsurprisingly, many popular search engines are quite problematic when it comes to protecting users' privacy. Consider these three search engines below and assess whether you really want to use them regularly.
Google Search by far collects the most user information compared to almost all other search engines. It can be considered the least private search engine for that reason. The search engine tracks your location, language, IP address, phone number, what kind of phone or computer you’re searching from, and, over time, what kind of searches you make.
However, that is just the beginning of the information Google collects. Google privacy is practically nonexistent. If you have a Google account through Google and use other services like Google Drive or Google Calendar, the information Google has on their users becomes all the more complex as they begin to collect personal information.
Google will collect information about the searches you make and your search history. Then, Google places targeted ads on your account based on that information.
All this data collection could function for convenience and accessibility purposes. However, it walks the line of being invasive to personal privacy. The company uses every Google search their users make to provide target advertising based on interests and location and adjust users’ algorithms to alter their search results.
While Google Search doesn’t sell its users’ data, it can, and will, be used against them the more they use the service. It may be one of the best search engines for information, but not for privacy. If you value a private Internet browsing experience and your personal data, Google Search should be avoided.
Bing
Microsoft’s Bing, while not as invasive as Google, still collects a lot of the same information as Google. This includes IP addresses, cookies, search history, search queries, and data and time of search queries. Since Bing is owned and operated by Microsoft, this means the tech giant also has access to all of that information. Then, like Google, they can offer you targeted ads based on your searches.
It is best to avoid Bing for the same reason you should avoid Google: massive data collection and minimal concern for user privacy.
Yahoo!
While Yahoo! is the least popular among this list of top offenders, it is still one of the largest data-collecting search engines and engages in user profiling just like the others. The terms and conditions statement from Yahoo! states that they do collect your data to make inferences about location data and to interact with their products and services.
They also state that they collect data regarding what content you access, advertising, and cookies and have suffered a number of security breaches over the years, exposing all of this user data to potential online threats. Therefore, though the search engine isn't as popular as Google or Bing, it's not exactly any more private.
Creating a more private browsing experience
Establishing a private browsing experience isn't always possible. But you can take measures to make sure that your online activity is as private as possible. In addition to using one of the best search engines for privacy, consider using a virtual private network when online to hide your IP address and other potentially identifying information.
If you don't want advertisers to have your preference information, you can clear cookies in your browser. Alternatively, you can use an ad blocker to avoid seeing cultivated advertisements. While using a private search engine helps, you can take things a step farther by using a private browser, too.
Most popular search engines are obtaining your private information and serving you targeted advertisements. Using private browsers and private search engines is a safer alternative to finding answer to questions on the web.