The word „googling“ has become synonymous with Internet research. And that should pay off. More than 90 percent of users use Google in their web search, although there are plenty of alternatives that, according to a test of the computer magazine „c’t“ similarly good results. These deal with personal data of users much more carefully than Google does.
According to the latest statistic of the statcounter Global analysis platform from February 2019, about 92.9 percent of all internet searches are done through the Google search engine. And that, although in the meantime also the occasional user would have to be known, that Google accurately logs and stores search queries. Intimate information is also disclosed to the company.
For example, if you google for various symptoms of illness. Even the search for a doctor finally delivers information that you would hardly tell anyone on the street, says Jo Bager, editor of the German computer magazine „c’t“. But a US company is willing to give information about his health, the expert gets annoyed.
Startpage, Qwant and MetaGer: There are many alternatives
Many users would automatically use Google, according to Bager. That is also because the group masters its craft. Google provides excellent search results and is pretty good at guessing what you’re looking for after just two input words. Privacy concerns are more likely to be crowded out, even though this talent for delivering good search results may well be related to the personal profiles Google places on users, Bager said.
Hands over keyboard
Jo Bager has tested six alternatives to Google for the computer magazine of the German Heise Verlag. In addition to Microsoft’s Bing, he has Duck Duck Go, MetaGer, Qwant, Searx and Startpage under the microscope. Although Bing delivers similarly good results as Google, but is similarly worrying when it comes to privacy. The other candidates protect the privacy of their users far better, so Bager.
Many of the alternative providers use Proxy Server. These are encrypted computer systems through which the search engine selects a page. It is not the user who calls up the page, but the search engine does that and then displays the page on the screen of the user. As a result, the user can not be identified, the website operator does not know who has visited his page.
Expert: In Europe, data is safer
While there is no one hundred percent guarantee of anonymous surfing, Bager says, without being fully aware of the privacy practices of the company, it is advisable to choose providers whose servers are based on European standards Territory are constructed. Here, the European Data Protection General Regulation (DSGVO) offers quite a comprehensive security protection. Providers like MetaGer Quant or Startpage are a good choice here, so
A little bit different is the internet search engine Duck Duck Go. Behind it is a company from the USA. As a result, theoretically US authorities, such as a law enforcement agency, have access to company data from Duck Duck Go.
Meta search engines: one for many
If you are looking for an alternative search engine and still expect similar search results as you are used to from Google, you should reach Startpage from the point of view of the „c’t“ editor. The operators of Startpage pay to include Google results in the search. But no data would be transmitted to Google. If you call Startpage via Google, then Google knows that you have surfed Startpage, but all search queries and page views run anonymously via encrypted servers.
Another way to get Google results without Google is to use meta search engines like MetaGer or Searx. A meta-search engine does not have its own database but merges the results of several search engines. For example, anyone searching for information via a meta-search engine on the Internet will receive a combination of the results of Google, Bing and Qwant.
Alternative search engines offer a different access to the net, says „c’t“ editor Bager. Even if the Google hits are usually good and helpful, you will also get interesting pages about other search aids that you might have overlooked on Google. The Google Alternatives also often offer benefits in certain specialties. For example, Qwant is a great help in finding music, Searx and MetaGer are specialists in finding scientific articles. All in all, the expert advises to reconsider your own search strategy, not always relying on Google and just trying out the numerous alternatives.
