New search engine

[kschatey]

I'm a rube and still use chrome because I'm a creature of habit. I know that there's a lot of potential for spying etc but if someone is interested in the absolutely bonkers crap I look up be my guest

Brave makes switching easy if you're ever so inclined. Very Chrome-like, excellent web compatibility, and very privacy oriented.

I'll look into that one. I'm on the phone all the time, no idea what this site even looks like on a desktop. I have the duckduckgo browser installed on the phone, I just always tap that stupid chrome logo

I also use Brave since it allows profiles and syncing, but just don't opt into the Brave Rewards stuff.

[Citizen B]

I'm a rube and still use chrome because I'm a creature of habit. I know that there's a lot of potential for spying etc but if someone is interested in the absolutely bonkers crap I look up be my guest

It only seems like I am on the computer all the time. I don't use my phone for anything except when someone calls, when I want to take a photo, or when I listen to podcasts while I walk the dog.

I was thinking about this the other day. What data are they harvesting from me? That I was in Eutaw, Alabama yesterday (which I was), or that I bought a fez online a few months ago. All they would have to do is ask me and I would tell them anyway.

As for my online history, which, again, I am sure is negligible compared to most people, what can they learn. I am such a random outlier, it cannot be interesting.

I will call you from North Korea when they finally come and abduct me.

I worry about other things. What are those things? Let me think it over....

I wouldn't mind using Duck Duck Go. I agree with the principles but I just don't care that much.

[Ruffinogold]

I run a private install of SearXNG for searching, but there are public sites out there that offer the service as well. I also run instances of Pi-hole for ad blocking and Unbound for secure DNS.

I have no idea what youre talking about

[Mr Beardsley]

I run a private install of SearXNG for searching, but there are public sites out there that offer the service as well. I also run instances of Pi-hole for ad blocking and Unbound for secure DNS.

I have no idea what youre talking about

Glad I'm not the only one

[Wildcat]

I run a private install of SearXNG for searching, but there are public sites out there that offer the service as well. I also run instances of Pi-hole for ad blocking and Unbound for secure DNS.

I have no idea what youre talking about

Glad I'm not the only one

Me three! Just reedin it med mabrane hoit

[Citizen B]

Brave makes switching easy if you're ever so inclined. Very Chrome-like, excellent web compatibility, and very privacy oriented.

I'll look into that one. I'm on the phone all the time, no idea what this site even looks like on a desktop. I have the duckduckgo browser installed on the phone, I just always tap that stupid chrome logo

I also use Brave since it allows profiles and syncing, but just don't opt into the Brave Rewards stuff.

What?!?

I would like some backstory on why you are comfortable discussing this topic so esoterically. I don't mind trying to get on your wavelength, but, this is Swahili to me. I am ignorant. Talk down to me. I will not take offense. What are you talking about?

You can start off by saying, "Look, Dummy..." and continue from there as you try to explain. I would like to understand.

[Musical Viking]

Good to know about a new engine. Especially since DuckDuckGo have sold out to Bill bloody Gates now, or so I heard.

[Ruffinogold]

Good to know about a new engine. Especially since DuckDuckGo have sold out to Bill bloody Gates now, or so I heard.

no kidding ... there goes the neighborhood

[Wildcat]

Good to know about a new engine. Especially since DuckDuckGo have sold out to Bill bloody Gates now, or so I heard.

@sisyphus can you get a confirmation on this?? Man I hope not. For a rich college dropout, Gates is one evil little potbellied pig.

[kschatey]

I'll look into that one. I'm on the phone all the time, no idea what this site even looks like on a desktop. I have the duckduckgo browser installed on the phone, I just always tap that stupid chrome logo

I also use Brave since it allows profiles and syncing, but just don't opt into the Brave Rewards stuff.

What?!?

I would like some backstory on why you are comfortable discussing this topic so esoterically. I don't mind trying to get on your wavelength, but, this is Swahili to me. I am ignorant. Talk down to me. I will not take offense. What are you talking about?

You can start off by saying, "Look, Dummy..." and continue from there as you try to explain. I would like to understand.

My apologies for the delay in responding as I keep meaning to sit down at an actual keyboard to do so and then forget. Anyway, let's see if this explanation helps...

A web browser is the interface that a user interacts with to view web pages and applications. Underneath the browser is a rendering engine that does the heavy lifting of interpreting the code and passing it to the browser interface to be graphically displayed to the user. There are various browsers (and engines), but the primary ones are Apple Safari (Webkit), Mozilla Firefox (Gecko), Chromium (Blink). The key one of interest here is the last one, Chromium. Chromium is an open source web browser project that is the basis for many other popular browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Chrome, Brave, Opera, and others. The base Chromium provides the rendering engine and very basic web browser functionality. Additional features and conveniences such as the ability to support multiple user profiles, profile syncing, etc. are all added by the individual browser authors. This is what makes a bit more proprietary and enables them to offer unique features event though they use the same underlying rendering engine and base code. The various Chromium-based browsers try to differentiate themselves in other ways, too. Chrome is Google's offering, of course, and is 100% focused on marketing and advertising given that Google is the largest online advertising provider. Privacy is therefore minimal and tracking your actions and using that information to market to your or reselling that to competitors is the cost of using their browser. On the other hand, Brave promises more privacy and less tracking, unless you opt into it by choice. There are varying degrees of privacy, marketing, tracking, etc. for all of the various browsers, but some level of privacy, etc. is given up by using any of them. After all, nothing is truly free, right?

It's possible to mitigate some of the privacy issues and tracking/advertising/marketing by using applicable browser plug-ins, Pi-hole, etc. Everything going to SSL (i.e., secure HTTP/HTTPS) helps. VPN, Tor, etc. are additional layers. Even further is using secure DNS. Why is that important? DN is what translates a URL (e.g., pipesmokersforums.com) to its actual address (i.e., 198.252.104.151). Traditionally, this is not a secure translation, can be tracked, and is subject to hijacking. But using a secure DNS service such as Unbound can prevent that.

Yes, this gets all very technical, but hopefully it helps illustrate the various privacy levels and concerns that exist on the modern internet as it affects everything from privacy to advertising to malicious actors (e.g., phishing, bots, hackers, etc.). It's up to you how much this matters and whether or not changing your actions are necessary. It's not easy to do so by design of the big online companies and providers. Nothing is free; you are paying for it somehow. YOU and your data are the currencies now.