DuckDuckGone?

A few weeks ago the DuckDuckGo search engine—popular among those who value privacy—announced that it would, essentially, be actively censoring search results with regard to Russia - Ukraine. Users would still keep their privacy, it was announced, but their search results would be deliberately slanted for political reasons. Sites “associated with Russian disinformation” would be downranked in the results—they would be, effectively, concealed. So, presumably, the NYPost, purveyor of Russian disinformation about the Bidens, would be downranked. It’s a judgment call, and the judgment is up to DuckDuckGo—or, just maybe, the Deep State masters who call the shots for DuckDuckGo. That part is left unsaid.

Today this article appeared:

DuckDuckGone?

The key question remains: Where can users find a search engine that both respects privacy and rejects censorship?

The key question—which was raised by commenters at this substack—not only remains, it also remains unanswered. The problem is succinctly stated:

Yet, though these users aren’t being tracked, they believe they are not getting the non-politicized, free flow of information they reasonably inferred from DuckDuckGo’s solicitations. There is anger and outrage; and the company is acutely aware of it. 

Therefore, when a user accused DuckDuckGo of betraying its principles by doing precisely what it promised not to do, in response Weinberg insisted on the distinction between privacy and censorship: “The whole point of DuckDuckGo is privacy. The whole point of the search engine is to show more relevant content over less relevant content, and that is what we continue to do.”

DuckDuckGo is apparently deciding that it has the judgment and authority to define and determine what is “relevant,” just like every other search engine. The company’s argument is that privacy and propaganda are two separate matters. Consequently, it appears the only difference between it and other search engines is that, by refraining from tracking its users, DuckDuckGo won’t know who they are censoring and propagandizing. And, per Weinberg’s “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” defense, if any user expected more that’s on them, not on DuckDuckGo. 

Perhaps. But what is on Weinberg is the fact that, like others in a lengthy line of morally weak Big Tech titans, he evidently can’t resist the temptation to shape how and what his users should consider and conclude. 

As for dissatisfied DuckDuckGo users and countless others around the world, the key question remains: Where can they find a search engine that both respects privacy and rejects censorship?

The problem is not an easy one to solve. I’ve checked around and came up with a few search sites that at least attempt to mitigate the effects of the censoring of search results. I say “mitigate” because, with the possible exception of Brave, most alternative search sites are passing on search results that they obtain from a few privately owned search engines—Google, Microsoft, Yahoo. Here are the results I came up with—three possible alternative search sites and three related articles:

Private Search Engine - Brave Search

MetaGer: Privacy Protected Search & Find

Swisscows the alternative, data secure search engine.

10 Best Private Search Engines for 2022 (No Logging)

Top 9 Best VPN Services in 2022 | RestorePrivacy

The Best Internet Search Engines To Use - 2022 Guide in 2022 - Make A Website Hub