Search engines without censorship. Space is our everything
At first glance it may seem that there is better than Google maybe only Yandex, and even that is not a fact. These companies invest huge amounts of money in innovation and development. Does anyone really have a chance not only to compete with the leaders, but also to win? Lifehacker's answer: “Yes!” There are several search engines that have succeeded. Let's look at our heroes.
What is this
This is a fairly well-known search engine with open source code. Servers are located in the USA. In addition to its own robot, the search engine uses results from other sources: Yahoo! Search BOSS, Wikipedia, Wolfram|Alpha.
The better
DuckDuckGo positions itself as a search engine that provides maximum privacy and confidentiality. The system does not collect any data about the user, does not store logs (no search history), use cookies as limited as possible.
DuckDuckGo does not collect or share personal information from users. This is our privacy policy.
Gabriel Weinberg, founder of DuckDuckGo
Why do you need this
All major search engines are trying to personalize search results based on data about the person in front of the monitor. This phenomenon is called the “filter bubble”: the user sees only those results that are consistent with his preferences or that the system deems as such.
DuckDuckGo creates an objective picture that does not depend on your past behavior on the Internet, and eliminates thematic Google advertising and Yandex, based on your requests. With DuckDuckGo, it’s easy to search for information in foreign languages: Google and Yandex by default give preference to Russian-language sites, even if the query is entered in another language.
What is this
"" is a Russian metasearch system developed by Moscow State University graduates Viktor Lavrenko and Vladimir Chernyshov. It searches through the indexes of Google, Bing, Yandex and others, and also has its own search algorithm.
The better
Searching through the indexes of all major search engines allows you to generate relevant results. In addition, Nigma breaks the results into several thematic groups(clusters) and prompts the user to narrow the search field by discarding unnecessary ones or highlighting priority ones. Thanks to the Mathematics and Chemistry modules, you can solve mathematical problems and request the results of chemical reactions directly in the search bar.
Why do you need this
Eliminates the need to search for the same query in different search engines. The cluster system makes it easy to manipulate search results. For example, Nigma collects results from online stores into a separate cluster. If you do not intend to buy anything, then simply exclude this group. By selecting the “English-language sites” cluster, you will receive results only in English. The Mathematics and Chemistry modules will help schoolchildren.
Unfortunately, the project is not currently being developed, as the developers have transferred their activity to the Vietnamese market. Nevertheless, “Nigma” is not only not outdated yet, but in some things it still gives Google a head start. Let's hope development resumes.
What is this
not Evil - a system that searches by anonymous Tor networks. To use, you need to log into this network, for example by running specialized browser with the same name. not Evil is not the only search engine of its kind. There is LOOK (default search in the Tor browser, accessible from regular internet) or TORCH (one of the oldest search engines on the Tor network) and others. We settled on not Evil because of the clear allusion to Google itself (just look at the start page).
The better
It searches where Google, Yandex and other search engines are generally closed.
Why do you need this
The Tor network contains many resources that cannot be found on the law-abiding Internet. And as government control over the content of the Internet tightens, their number will grow. Tor is a kind of Network within the Network: with its social networks, torrent trackers, media, trading platforms, blogs, libraries and so on.
YaCy
What is this
YaCy is a decentralized search engine that works on the principle of P2P networks. Each computer on which the main one is installed software module, scans the Internet independently, that is, it is an analogue of a search robot. The results obtained are collected in common base, which is used by all YaCy members.
The better
It’s difficult to say whether this is better or worse, since YaCy is a completely different approach to organizing search. The absence of a single server and owner company makes the results completely independent of anyone's preferences. The autonomy of each node eliminates censorship. YaCy is capable of searching the deep web and non-indexed public networks.
Why do you need this
If you are a supporter of open source software and a free internet, not subject to influence government agencies and large corporations, then YaCy is your choice. It can also be used to organize a search within a corporate or other autonomous network. And even though YaCy is not very useful in everyday life, it is a worthy alternative Google from a search process perspective.
Pipl
What is this
Pipl is a system designed to search for information about a specific person.
The better
The authors of Pipl claim that their specialized algorithms search more efficiently than “regular” search engines. In particular, the priority sources of information are profiles social networks, comments, lists of participants and various databases where information about people is published, such as databases of court decisions. Pipl's leadership in this area is confirmed by assessments from Lifehacker.com, TechCrunch and other publications.
Why do you need this
If you need to find information about a person living in the US, then Pipl will be much more effective than Google. The databases of Russian courts are apparently inaccessible to the search engine. Therefore, he does not cope so well with Russian citizens.
What is this
Another specialized search engine. Looking for various sounds(house, nature, cars, people, etc.) in open sources. The service does not support queries in Russian, but there is an impressive list of Russian-language tags that you can search for.
The better
The output contains only sounds and nothing extra. In the search settings you can set the desired format and sound quality. All sounds found are available for download. There is a search for sounds by pattern.
Why do you need this
If you need to quickly find the sound of a musket shot, the blows of a suckling woodpecker, or the cry of Homer Simpson, then this service is for you. And I chose this only from the available Russian-language queries. In English the spectrum is even wider. But seriously, a specialized service requires a specialized audience. But what if it comes in handy for you too?
The life of alternative search engines is often fleeting. Lifehacker asked the former about the long-term prospects of such projects general director Ukrainian branch of the Yandex company Sergei Petrenko.
As for the fate of alternative search engines, it is simple: to be very niche projects with a small audience, therefore without clear commercial prospects or, conversely, with complete clarity of their absence.
If you look at the examples in the article, you can see that such search engines either specialize in a narrow but popular niche, which, perhaps, has not yet grown enough to be noticeable on the radars of Google or Yandex, or they are testing an original hypothesis in ranking, which is not yet applicable in regular search.
For example, if a search on Tor suddenly turns out to be in demand, that is, results from there are needed by at least a percentage of Google’s audience, then, of course, ordinary search engines will begin to solve the problem of how to find them and show them to the user. If the behavior of the audience shows that for a significant proportion of users in a significant number of queries, results given without taking into account factors depending on the user seem more relevant, then Yandex or Google will begin to produce such results.
“Be better” in the context of this article does not mean “be better at everything.” Yes, in many aspects our heroes are far from Google and Yandex (even far from Bing). But each of these services gives the user something that the search industry giants cannot offer.
Are you looking for search engines without censorship or restrictions? In this article I will present you a selection the best search engines without any restrictions. The Internet is an excellent way to transmit and disseminate information. However popular search engines not only use their own filtering, but also analyze the user’s history, selecting search results to suit their area of interest, and also use targeted advertising.
Sometimes this feature really helps. However, in most cases we see what the search engine considers most relevant, but in fact helpful information may be on page 5-10 in the search results.
Is it possible to get rid of censorship in popular search engines?
If Yandex or Google suits you, but you would like to expand the list of available sites, then just change the filter setting. By default, popular search engines choose moderate filtering of search queries. You can change this parameter in the settings window for a specific search engine to use it without censorship or restrictions.
Please note that material designed for an adult audience with a stable psyche will be found more often, and it will be easier to find a suitable site, for example, with a “strawberry”. But if we are talking about resources blocked by a search engine or authorities, then this manipulation will not change anything. By the way, it is quite likely that in contextual advertising Some not-so-pleasant advertisements will appear, but there is no need to be especially afraid of this, because advertising platforms and agencies still set certain limits.
Tor - anonymous browser
Many advanced users have long been using the TOR network and the browser of the same name with increased confidentiality. This is not just an anonymous search engine, but a whole parallel world of the Internet! Of course, the number of sites is not so large, and among them great amount offers illegal activities or goods. But nevertheless, here you can find pirated copies of films, games and much more.
Tor Search is truly uncensored. It is used for searching on the darknet. There are no restrictions for the user and resource owner. At the same time, it remains complete anonymity both sides. The search engine uses Nutch, built on Apache. “The system was originally developed for Yahoo,” says creator Chris McNaghten.
Duck search - no limits
YaCy is a search robot on every computer
This free system, which works on the principles of decentralization https://yacy.net/en/index.html. Each participating computer independently conducts a search, expanding the common base - the classic P2P operating scheme. The request itself is processed directly on the computer, which prevents data leakage about visited pages and search history. It is simply unrealistic to introduce any censorship or impose sites on YaCy! It can even scan a corporate network.
What is the disadvantage of anonymous search engines?
Why are giants using multi-level filters still thriving? It's all about speed. Often, the search engine uses encryption and a VPN service without restrictions to hide the user’s real information. This significantly slows down request processing. However, this is a small price to pay for privacy and data protection.
Internet without censorship or high processing of requests with an abundance of advertising? The choice is yours!
In contact with
With the rise of censorship and surveillance, alternatives to Google and Yandex are becoming more and more interesting to users. We will tell you about three no-holds-barred search engines that do not collect personal information about you, but, on the contrary, protect your privacy.
Startpage: The World's Most Discrete Search Engine
Startpage.com calls itself "the world's most discrete search engine." Since 2016, the service has been merged with the Ixquick website. As proof of the security of its search, Startpage.com bills itself as the only search engine with an EU privacy certificate.
Startpage.com promises not to store user IP addresses and, according to the service,does not use cookies for tracking. Additionally, Startpage.com is accessible from the Tor network.The search engine servers are located in the Netherlands.
The site has a convenient feature:Search results can be viewed using the Proxy option, which encrypts the connection to the corresponding web page using a proxy server. Thus, this is a real search engine without restrictions: you can safely view what your provider blocks.
Search proxies: Startpage easily bypasses Yandex.DNS blockingSearch proxies - main feature Startpage, which make it an uncensored search engine. If you need to search without blocking, this service is for you.
DuckDuckGo: anonymous search engine from the USA
DuckDuckGo is the most widely used secure Google alternative with over ten million requests per day.Even though the search engine's servers are located in the US, DuckDuckGo.com still offers some interesting features.
When searching through DuckDuckGo.com, your IP address will not be stored. The system alsoDoes not use cookies for tracking.DuckDuckGo uses encryption with using HTTPS. You can also enter a query into a search engine via the Tor network. You can also use different themes to customize the appearance of your search page.
You cannot open websites through a proxy here. But taking into account the fact that the system is outside the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation, it is not subject to, for example, the “right to be forgotten” in the sense in which it is understood in our country.The search results may not be perfect, but they are still quite useful.
The right to be forgotten: DuckDuckGo finds sites with compromising evidence blocked in the Russian Federation. Google - news only This service is more suitable for those who primarily value anonymity and search without tracking. Or for those who want to find information excluded from search results in the Russian Federation. However, we should warn you: in Russia, DuckDuckGo has become a partner of Yandex, so you can expect everything.
notEvil: Internet search that doesn't exist
The notEvil search engine allows you to search the Internet using the anonymous Tor network. To do this, you do not need to install any additional software(although it will be needed in order to open search results).
This search engine allows you to search on the so-called darknet - that part of the Internet that is usually inaccessible to the average user. Due to lockdowns, people are gradually moving into it useful services, for example, to download content.
Most Tor web search engines shamelessly make money from advertising: you get results from Tor, and a handful to boot advertisements and tracking as a gift. notEvil fundamentally does not do this. It is clear that we are not talking about IP tracking and the use of cookies here at all.
notEvil: helps you find things in Tor that may not exist on the Internet The site will be useful for those who want to get acquainted with the contents of the invisible Internet; hardcore anonymity guaranteed. By the way, we recommend that you immediately save the link to your bookmarks - URLs in the “Tor-to-web” category are very unfriendly in terms of remembering.
Anonymous search engines as a safe alternative to Google
All three search engines do not log your IP address or use cookies for tracking. Encryption using HTTPS is provided by all named providers.
The DuckDuckGo search engine showed the best search results in the test, and you will receive guaranteed security when choosing an alternative search engine with the Startpage.com system. EU data protection certification confirms that the search engine stands by its promise of search anonymity. NotEvil, in turn, is useful for searching the darknet.
As expected, Google took first place in the world rankings. His share is more than 70% search queries from residents from all over the world. Moreover, a third of all google.com traffic comes from US citizens. In addition, Google is the most visited website in the world. The average daily duration of use of the Google search engine is 9 minutes.
The advantage of the Google search engine is the absence unnecessary elements On the page. Just a search bar and the company logo. Chip are animated pictures and browser games dedicated to popular and local holidays.
2. Bing
Bing - search engine from Microsoft, dating back to 2009. From that moment on, it became a mandatory attribute of smartphones running Windows OS. Bing is also distinguished by minimalism - in addition to the header with a list of all Microsoft products, the page contains only search string and the name of the system. Bing is most popular in the USA (31%), China (18%) and Germany (6%).
3. Yahoo!
Third place went to one of the oldest search engines - Yahoo. The bulk of users also live in the USA (24%). It seems that the rest of the world is deliberately avoiding the help of search robots... The search engine is also popular in India, Indonesia, Taiwan and the UK. In addition to the search bar, on the Yahoo! offers a weather forecast in your region, as well as global trends in the form of a news feed.
4. Baidu
A Chinese search engine that has gained notoriety in Russia. Due to aggressive policies and lack of translation into Russian or English languages, extensions of this search engine are perceived as viruses. It is very difficult to completely remove them and get rid of pop-up windows with hieroglyphs. However, this site is fourth in the world by attendance. 92% of its audience are Chinese citizens.
5. AOL
AOL is an American search engine whose name stands for America Online. Its popularity is significantly lower than that of previous systems. Its heyday was in the 90s and 00s. Almost 70% of AOL's audience are residents of the United States.
6.Ask.com
This search engine, dating back to 1995, has quite unusual interface. She perceives all requests as questions and offers answer options in accordance with search results. This is somewhat reminiscent of the Answers.Mail service. However, it is not amateur answers that are included in the search results, but full-fledged articles. Behind Last year the site has lost about 50 positions in the world ranking of the most popular Internet resources and today ranks only 104th.
7.Excite
This search engine is unremarkable and similar to a lot of other sites. It offers users a lot of services (such as News, Mail, Weather, Travel, etc.) The site's interface also evokes memories of the web of the 90s and, one might assume, has changed little since then.
8.DuckDuckGo
The developers immediately warn that this search engine does not track your actions online. Nowadays, this is a significant argument when choosing a search engine. The site design is made in a modern manner, uses bright colors and funny pictures. Unlike others search engines, “duck search engine” has been translated into Russian. Over the past year, the site has gained about 400 positions and in March 2017. is ranked 504th in the Alexa popularity rankings.
9. Wolfram Alpha
A distinctive feature of this search is the variety of auxiliary services designed for queries related to certain knowledge. That is, in the search results you will not see links to posts on social networks or articles from the yellow press. You will be offered specific numbers and verified facts in the form of a single document. This browser is ideal for schoolchildren and students.
10. Yandex
Search engine, the most popular in Russia and the CIS countries. In addition, about 3% of the site's audience are residents of Germany. The site is notable for its large number of services for all occasions (music, radio, schedule public transport, real estate, translator, etc.) The resource also offers big choice individual website design, as well as customizing widgets for yourself. Yandex ranks 31st in the world in popularity, having lost 11 positions over the past year.
Whenever you browse a website, your IP and MAC address are logged to track your activity. To protect yourself, you need to browse various sites anonymously. In this regard, we provide a list of anonymous search engines that will not track your queries.
1. Wolfram Alpha
It is one of the best search engines and is well known among security experts. WolframAlpha provides fundamentally new way obtaining knowledge and answers - through dynamic calculations based on a large volume of built-in data, algorithms and methods.
2.Privatelee
This is a search engine on HTTPS based, which uses SSL encryption and does not record user requests.
3.DuckDuckGo
This is a well-known search engine that you may have already used. The anonymous search engine DuckDuckGo does not collect or share users' personal information. This is the privacy policy used by this service.
4 Yippy
This is one of the search engines through which you can easily filter the results and sort the list as per your desire. Moreover, this search engine works with proper custom search to provide its users top scores and never saves your search history.
5. GIBIRU
Gibiru does not link to any personal data and does not track cookies. The search engine provides uncensored and impersonal anonymous network, so you can surf the internet safely.
6.Startpage
It is a powerful search engine that displays Google results, protecting user requests and avoiding your steps being tracked. It provides browsing through a proxy server that prevents IP address or location from being tracked.
7. Hulbee
Hulbee.com is a rational alternative for those who give great importance data integrity and confidentiality. Unlike regular search engines, Hulbee.com users leave no traces. Hulbee.com doesn't even count the number of its visitors. Their requests, IP addresses and personal information are not saved.
8. Disconnect Search
This service uses Google, Bing and Yahoo to search for content. But it never tracks your requests or IP address. It even allows the user to select their location before starting the search.
9.Lukol
Lukol is one of the best search engines that protects users from online scammers and spammers. Uses Google to display search results. But a proxy server is used to provide search results.
We've reviewed the best anonymous search engines, which do not track user requests. Using them, you can easily carry out anonymous searches without worrying about your safety.
Translation of the article " Top 10 Private Search Engines That Do Not Track You» was prepared by the friendly project team Website building from A to Z.
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