Better Search Engine Choices (what are the options?)
When we go online, we all use search engines to look things up. Google by far is the most popular choice (whether you find it useful or not, nearly every search now brings up AI information – can be helpful or annoying, depending on your viewpoint).
And then of course there are super-annoying captchas (where you have to keep wasting your life away clicking silly images in order to reach the answer you require – not helpful if you were requiring urgent information say on medicines or to find lost pets). The onus here is often on companies that publish on the web.
- Cloudflare Turnstile uses a simple piece of code to confirm visitors are real (yet still blocks unwanted bots) without slowing down web experience.
- Friendly Captcha again respects privacy, by letting the software solve the puzzle. And enabling easy access to the website, yet still blocking bots and spam.
Google however is quick and efficient. Are there are other options? Yes there are, and often they work on the same framework as Google Chrome (which also offers some good free extensions). Let’s go through the minefield to decide which is best to use.
Choose a decent browser
First of all, clean up your desktop and use a good browser. You would be surprised how many people still use slow and clunky outdated ones, which massively slow up your browsing experience, and keep you online longer than you’d like. How to choose? Visit Browse Happy and pick your favourite.
Free Google Chrome extensions
- Download Unhook (removes ‘recommended videos’ in the sidebar, if you want or have to watch a YouTube video). It’s just then a blank site on the right-hand site.
- I Don’t Care About Cookies (you won’t have to keep clicking pop-ups to reach the page you want).
ECOISA (a search engine that plants trees!)
Ecoisa (add to Chrome – it’s free) is solar-powered and donates 80% of revenue from ads to non-profits that so far have planted over 200 million trees worldwide (now the biggest reforestation scheme on the planet).
It has planted 3.5 million trees in Brazil (and paid for 6.5 million more) to reforest an area in Pantanal, which were destroyed in a wildfire along with the animals in it.
To switch, just click the three dots at top right of your screen, then click settings, then select ‘switch search engine’. You’ll find the option for Ecoisa. Select and you’re done!
Ocean Hero sponsors others to remove five plastic bottles from the ocean, each time you search the web. By working with an organisation that pays people in economic poverty to recover ocean-bound plastic for a job. Working with partners in Indonesia, Haiti, Brazil and the Philippines.
Do search engines really track you?
Yes, some do. Google uses tracks to build profile data for targeted ads via searches, IP addresses and even watching YouTube ads. Users can regularly delete this data in browsers and clear cookies, but it’s all a bit Big Brother. And obviously has safety concerns for those who wish to remain anonymous, say people on witness protection schemes or escaping domestic abuse.
The Internet is good for some things, but has become a big scary place where everyone is watching you, usually not to harm you – but in order to ‘track your mind and sell your stuff’. Which is kind of the same thing.
If television’s a babysitter, the internet is a drunk library who won’t shut up. Dorothy Gambrell
People topple statues of long-dead slave traders, whilst filming the whole thing on their smartphones made by actual, living slaves. Paul Kingsnorth
Why can’t search engines stop online child abuse?
This is often a question asked. Actually this time it’s not usually up to them, as most is carried out on peer-to-peer networks like What’s App or the so-called ‘dark web’.
You can report any concerns at Internet Watch Foundation and Childline’s Report Remove tool.
Good preventive measures include:
- Encouraging children to spend less time online.
- Teaching children about online safety
- Choosing smartphones for kids with built-in safety apps
- Bark app is a good solution for the US (not available elsewhere).
Startpage (private searches and optional AI)
Startpage claims to be the world’s private search engine. It never saves or sells your search history. It’s free, just download the extension to add to Google chrome.
Based in The Netherlands, your IP address is removed from all servers, and third parties are blocked from accessing third party data to target you. You can also access news that is not targeted based on your browsing habits.
Anonymous View acts like a VPN, but without an account or fees. Just click the option under any search results to activate. The company makes money through non-personalised ads (sponsored links) which are never connected to your past searches.
The service works with free ad blockers, just whitelist this site for it work. You also have the option of removing AI results, so it’s optional only.
Mojeek (no tracking, just a search engine)
Mojeek search engine provides independent results from Google or Bing, through their own ranking algorithms. Therefore the results that come up are quite different (and you have the option of turning off Wikipedia results if you don’t want them).
As the results come directly from them and not through other search engines, the results also tend to be faster. And although results are not censored, this search engine does not crawl child sexual abuse materials, malware or content designed to game search engines.
DuckDuckGo (used by 100 million people)
DuckDuckGo is likely the best known and independent alternative to Google search. Used by tens of millions of people worldwide, it blocks third-party trackers from Google and Facebook, targeted ads and cookie pop-ups. It also plays YouTube without target ads, blocks email trackers and deletes browsing data with one simple button.
Swisscows (a family-friendly search engine)
Swisscows can be installed for free on Google Chrome. This guarantees a family-friendly search engine that’s free from violent or pornographic content. With no storage, sharing or profiles (Switzerland has some of the world’s highest data protection standards).
A good idea to also switch emails to free Proton Mail (quick to set up, this gives you a nice new email address from a company also based in Switzerland that is secure, doesn’t track you and is easy to delete). It’s ad-free and you don’t have to use your phone number to set up an account. It also offers an affordable VPN and again a secure email at Swisscows.email.
Kagi (why pay for a search engine)?
Kagi charges a few pounds a month for a search engine, which you may think is a bit bonkers. But if you run a business and are collectively a lot online, it makes sense.
This has super reviews, and what you get a brilliant search engine (optional AI or not) and absolutely no ads, no people trying to sell you (or sell your) information. It’s simple, ethical and honest. Job done.
When you search here, you’ll never get those ‘sponsored ads’ that come up before the main results, so less cluttered and with more clarity.
It also runs Orion browser with built-in ad blocking and privacy features.
