Private Search

[Frands]

Hi :).

I just found this little useful tool over at the PC Mag site:

Private Seach review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2457644,00.asp

Download: https://disconnect.me/search

slideshow; http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=323364&a=323363&po=1,00.asp

Supports Google, Bing, Yahoo, Blekko, and DuckDuckGo

[LilBambi]

Nice Metasearch and mostly private. Very nice.

However, I personally prefer a search engine that does a lot of that but doesn't log IPs at all, such as StartPage.com or ixquick.com:

https://startpage.com/eng/top-ten-ways-startpage.html

10 Ways StartPage Helps You Take Back Your Privacy

1. StartPage doesn't store your IP address, use tracking cookies, or make a record of your searches.
We do not keep any information about the people who search through StartPage or what they search for. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

2. StartPage protects you from NSA surveillance and spying.
Your search session with StartPage is protected through powerful SSL encryption so no one - not hackers, not your ISP, not even the federal government - can eavesdrop on your searches. (Read more here)

3. StartPage gives you 100% real Google results in complete privacy.
When you search with Startpage, we remove all identifying information from your query and submit it anonymously to Google for you. We get the results and return them to you in total privacy.

4. StartPage is a Dutch company, so it is not under US jurisdiction.
Because our company is based in the Netherlands, US data collection programs like PRISM, the Patriot Act, FISA courts, etc. do not directly apply to us. We have never cooperated with spying programs like PRISM. (Plus we have no user data to begin with.)

5. StartPage offers a free proxy with every search.
With our proxy, not only can you search privately, but you can view the pages you find through StartPage anonymously and in complete security. To learn more, please see our short overview video here.

6. StartPage is third-party certified for privacy.
We not only promise our users total privacy, we back up those claims with rock-solid evidence, through stringent third-party auditing and certification. Here are details:
How can your privacy policies be verified? Can users trust StartPage to do what it says?
https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/8/0/how-can-your-privacy-policies-be-verified-can-users-trust-startpage-to-do-what-it-says
What auditing and review does your Europrise certification process involve?
https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/9/0/what-auditing-and-review-does-your-europrise-certification-process-involve

7. StartPage has been doing privacy longer than anyone else - since way before privacy was "cool".
Our company was founded in 1999, and we've been focused on privacy since 2006. (We introduced the StartPage search engine in 2009.)

8. When it comes to security, StartPage runs the tightest ship on the Internet.
We've been ahead of the privacy curve for years, and we consistently outscore other search engines on independent measures of security. We were the first search engine to offer default SSL encryption, and now we are the first private search engine to offer Perfect Forward Secrecy and the latest version of Transport Layer Security.

9. StartPage breaks you free of the search engine "Filter Bubble".
Major search engines now "personalize" or "pre-screen" the search results they serve you, based on what they know about you from past searches and other services you use. While some people love this, others see it as privacy-invading censorship. Regardless of your views, with StartPage, you get clean, anonymous, non-filtered results every time, because nobody knows who you are.

10. By using StartPage, you send a powerful pro-privacy message in the marketplace.
Each time you use an online service, you cast a vote in support of the policies and practices of that service. By using StartPage, you are casting a powerful vote for a private Internet where people can access information anonymously without fear of government surveillance or reprisal.

[winchester73]

Disconnect is a handy little add-on for Firefox, this newest product could prove equally useful. 

[LilBambi]

Yes, it certainly could. One doesn't always need complete privacy on searches.

Currently I go back and forth between no Google, DDG and StartPage.com and will definitely add this one to my  search arsenal.

But generally, I I have to say I use Startpage.com.

:Hammys pint:

[Digerati]

Except when using free "hot spots" to access the Internet, I don't think it really matters what Internet search engine you use because your ISP is logging all that anyway. But even if using a free wifi hotspot while searching, you are not revealing age, birthdate, bank accounts, or other sensitive "PI" (personal information).

Okay, when private, they (search providers) may not then use (or sell) my search "keys" to target ads (or search results) specifically tailored to me - but is that a good thing? If the ad is not tailored to my likes and interests, they will simply plug in another ad for something else I will surely ignore too.

Frankly, when I enter a search, I want what I am looking for to be right up top. This best happens with a finely crafted search string but we all know, knowing what to put in that string when you are unfamiliar with the colloquialisms can be a challenge. A search engine who knows me (Bing and Google, for example) is better able to help me, help myself.

If I were involved in illegal activities, I might be more concerned about search privacy. But I am not. There are just too many other privacy and security concerns from hackers, spammers, and malware than to worry about what I plug in my search engine.

[LilBambi]

And that's the beauty of having choice.

It doesn't mean that everyone who want private searches is doing something wrong. I do not believe it is good to make that kind of assumption, because more often than not, it is not true.

[Digerati]

It doesn't mean that everyone who want private searches is doing something wrong. I do not believe it is good to make that kind of assumption, because more often than not, it is not true.

I agree 100% with that - and did not mean to imply otherwise.

If someone is conducting illegal activities from their home computer and home network (that is, they have not hacked into and using a neighbor's Internet access), then they probably deserve getting caught for being stupid! ;)

[JDBush61]

Frands, Fran, and winchester73, excellent information. Thank you. I love these types of posts.

Please continue.

[Frands]

It doesn't mean that everyone who want private searches is doing something wrong. I do not believe it is good to make that kind of assumption, because more often than not, it is not true.

I agree, but of course some people who want private searches is doing something bad, but there must be a limit of control and and a limit for what kind of informations other people and public services are able to find about you.
I can only refer to a big scandal that is going on these days here in Denmark, which is one of the largest scandals in the newer danish history :angry: . :

The story  short:

Se og Hør (See & listen) media scandal (also known as Tys-tys-kilde-sagen (litt. Silent Source Case) is referering to an ongoing media scandal in Denmark, dealing with a cooperation between an IT specialist at Nets Group, provider of the Dankort (like Visa Card etc.), and Se og Hør, a Danish celebrity journalism magazine. The IT specialist was employed by IBM, with a accessibility to sensitive personal data about creditcard transactions, he collected personal billing information about royals and celebrities, which he sold to Se og Hør.

The scandal came to public attention by the release of journalist and author Ken B. Rasmussen's roman à clef (Livet, det forbandede.)
Several Danish actors and actresses and politicians, (Mads Mikkelsen, Casper Christensen and Iben Hjejle among others) have filed a criminal complaint against Se og Hør due to violation of their privacy rights.

----

Just an example. It's a longer story, but it was what I had a bit in my mind when I posted the link to the tool Private Search, because I really do not like if some stupid people are lurking around in yours and my private affairs. Of course if some people is doing some stupid things on the net, there must be done something to stop it. But there must be some limits somehow.

[Digerati]

No privacy is, sadly, becoming the norm.

I note BY DEFAULT!!! ( :blink: ), your Apple iPhone or iPad has been secretly recording your every location for the past 10 months. And the option to disable the feature is buried deep in several layers of menus. And to make it worse, just about ANYBODY can track your every move. :(

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/20/iphone.tracking/index.html

[LilBambi]

Oh, and Apple products were by no means the only ones doing that in 2011.

It's not just the iPhone, Android stores your location data too TNW - 21 April 2011.

Didn't both Apple and Android fix that already?

[Digerati]

Didn't both Apple and Android fix that already?

From what I understand, this is totally different - and intentional. In the past, users had to enable this feature. With these Apples, it is enabled by default without the user's permission or knowledge. And to make matters worse, anyone can track you and build statistics about your daily routines.

[siljaline]

You don't need to install anything - simply create a shortcut in your faves bar or desktop for Disconnect search.
https://search.disconnect.me/ 

[winchester73]

You don't need to install anything - simply create a shortcut in your faves bar or desktop for Disconnect search.
https://search.disconnect.me/

siljaline  :hallo:

[siljaline]

Waves back  :hallo: