The Scoop: Startpage.com, which calls itself the world’s most private search engine, has been at the forefront of the online privacy movement since 2006. This company challenged big data mining practices before major websites started making headlines for sharing personal data with marketing companies, law enforcement agencies, and third-party organizations. Today, privacy-conscious individuals can use Startpage to enjoy a clean slate where online searches for dating sites, STD symptoms, sexual fetishes, and other sensitive topics will always remain private.
The online world is a veritable cave of wonders with a search engine genie granting you as many wishes as you want. Just say the word, and you have access to free communities, free dating, free information, and free entertainment. But that phenomenal cosmic power comes at a price — and the price is you.
While you gather up treasures, some websites quietly collect your personal data and then sell it to online marketing companies and other shady corporate entities. Sometimes these websites disclose where their user information goes, and sometimes they don’t.
Privacy has become a major issue in the online dating scene. Singles put their personal lives on the line when they visit a dating site or solicit dating advice, and many don’t want follow-up ads to embarrass them by broadcasting their sexual orientation, STD status, or other sensitive details. Most major search engines make money by putting their customers’ search history on the auction block, but Startpage.com is on a mission to change the status quo and keep its users safe from online snoopers.
Since its launch in 2006, Startpage has made a name for itself as one of the world’s most private search engines. The website doesn’t store IP addresses or even record search histories. Even if law enforcement were to issue a warrant for its user searches, Startpage wouldn’t have any data to disclose.
Thanks to its one-of-a-kind privacy features, Startpage ensures that consumers don’t have to worry about their information being released or shared with anyone. As a result, Startpage can offer daters a safe space where they can ask sensitive questions about their health, safety, and sexuality.
Startpage is respectful of the individual’s right to privacy and gives users more control over their personal data. Whether an individual is looking for rape survivor support groups or exploring LGBTQ+ dating sites, they deserve the right to keep that information to themselves.
“Daters will really appreciate Startpage.com’s privacy for some of the things they need answers for every day,” said Liz McIntyre, a consumer privacy expert with Startpage. “Being able to find the answers in privacy offers peace of mind at a time when everything you do and see online is typically documented.”
The Redesign Addresses the Concerns of Modern Users
Startpage uses Google’s search results to deliver the highest quality information, but it removes all trackers, cookies, and logs. That means online companies can’t follow users after they leave the website. Advertisers can’t eavesdrop on their searches. Web users can search in peace, safe in the knowledge that whatever they’re typing isn’t being recorded, monitored, and cataloged for future use.
In the last year, Startpage’s search engine underwent a major redesign to change its look and update its features. The search engine now offers new privacy tools to address issues the modern user faces.
The Anonymous View feature has turned heads by taking proactive steps to shield user information even after the user has left Startpage.com. This feature enables users to visit websites anonymously. The Anonymous View button appears next to every website in the search results, and clicking it stops the site from seeing who or where they are as they browse. The website sees only Startpage.com, not users, so it can’t follow them once they leave its domain.
Users can stay hidden while surfing the web thanks to Startpage’s forward-thinking updates. No other search engine goes to such lengths to protect user privacy across the internet.
“Let’s say you want to search for advice on ED medications, body odor, or any number of other highly personal topics that you don’t want to end up in a digital profile,” Liz said. “You go to Startpage.com and get Google search results in privacy. Then you can also visit the websites you find in privacy, too, by clicking on the optional Anonymous View proxy links.”
Anonymous View is just one of the unique benefits available on Startpage.com. If you’re tired of big-data companies watching your every move, you can make Startpage.com your default search engine and start browsing under the radar.
Leading the Movement to Protect Personal Data
The internet can be a powerful force for good in everyday lives. In this opportunist paradise, anyone can build a community, start a business, or find a date online. But, on the flip side, it can also lead unsuspecting folks into trouble. Think of all the victims of Nigerian prince scams or online identity theft.
Some websites expect users to be responsible for their own safety, but others, like the Startpage team, have taken on the responsibility of standing up for consumer interests and advocating for the right to privacy.
Startpage prioritizes consumers over corporations and has taken action to stop the unethical data mining that can turn private information into public knowledge.
“Privacy is a pocketbook issue,” Liz said. “Marketers are tracking people in order to determine their purchasing power and even how much they might be persuaded to pay for products and services.”
This issue may not get a lot of attention in the mainstream media, but differential pricing impacts budgets of online shoppers and should be a top concern for everyone. Nowadays a person’s digital footprint can determine whether they get a loan or how much they pay for car insurance.
Since the company’s founding in 1998, the Startpage team has endeavored to erase that footprint and keep its users from being analyzed, tracked, and judged by third-party websites. This search engine currently sees over 2 billion searches per year and has stayed competitive with Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other big-name companies by pioneering privacy features that support anonymous search and browsing.
“Startpage.com is helping to make the internet a more private place where people can research information without worrying about unknown third parties documenting search terms or making judgments about their lives,” Liz said. “We all need space to learn and develop without fear of judgment or reprisal.”
Startpage.com Champions Online Privacy & Security
The internet is a dazzling digital place where people engage in an open dialogue on just about everything in existence Countless websites tantalize users with free information available at a moment’s notice. Cat videos, Disney memes, dating sites, oh my! It’s easy to get caught up in your newsfeed and forget its hidden costs.
Many consumers have become accustomed to the internet’s trade-offs. As in, “I want to know where this restaurant is, so I let Google know where I am.” In most cases, people make these exchanges without thinking twice, but sometimes you have to draw the line and tell the internet’s lurkers to stop following you everywhere.
Startpage offers a trustworthy solution for active daters looking for a little discretion and privacy on the web. This innovative and fast-growing search engine has changed the way people browse the internet and made the online world a more consumer-friendly place. Looking to the future, users can expect Startpage to continue dreaming up new ways to protect user privacy across the web.
“Startpage.com believes privacy is a fundamental human right and is necessary for a free society,” Liz said. “All the company’s products and services are developed with this in mind.”