Search Encrypt

Search Encrypt
Type of site
 Web search engine
Available in multilingual
Headquarters Nora Court, 3rd floor, office 301, Limassol, Cyprus
Website searchencrypt.com
Alexa rank Increase805 (May 3, 2018)[1]
Commercial Yes
Registration None
Launched April 16, 2016 (2016-04-16)
Current status Active

Search Encrypt is an Internet search engine that prioritizes maintaining user privacy and avoiding the filter bubble of personalized search results. It offers general web search, image and video search capabilities. Search Encrypt recently added a news search functionality[2]. The authenticity of these claims is unclear, as the engine's privacy policy allows it to sell user data to marketers.[3] Search Encrypt earns revenue from the advertisements that appear above the search results. In addition, the engine is often installed without the user's knowledge or consent, and automatically redirects the browser's homepage, activity that is characteristics of a browser hijacker.[3] It also changes settings in a way that makes it difficult to uninstall.[3] The engine claims to differentiate itself from other search engines by using local encryption on searches and delayed history expiration. Search Encrypt emphasizes steps to anonymize user data, rather than building behavioral retargeting profiles on users.

Search Encrypt was created in 2016 by a group of developers. In November 2017, the site had 22.74 million visitors.[4] Search Encrypt is also available as a browser extension for Google Chrome. It is currently listed in the Chrome Web Store.[5]

The company is based in Limassol, Cyprus.[6] and has 10 employees. The name was derived from the products main features.

Overview

Search Encrypt works by encrypting user search terms locally with AES-256 encryption. Qualys SSL Labs reports that Search Encrypt's servers use SSL encryption.[7] Search Encrypt earns revenue by serving ads.

According to Search Encrypt's FAQ page, "Search Encrypt utilizes a client side encryption using a short lived key to encrypt your queries before sending them to our servers. The key expires shortly after the final use.[8]" Search Encrypt tries to differentiate itself from other search engines by putting privacy first. The website's blog claims that Search Encrypt has "better privacy by default" than DuckDuckGo.[9]

SearchEncrypt.com's homepage states that users' search data "can no longer be viewed after 15 minutes of inactivity". Keyword autocomplete is operating via private browsing, Tor and VPN.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "SearchEncrypt.com Traffic, Demographics and Competitors". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  2. ↑ "Search Encrypt Adds Privacy-Friendly News Search - Search Encrypt Blog". Search Encrypt Blog. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  3. 1 2 3 "Remove Search Encrypt (Removal Guide) - updated Aug 2018". Spyware.com. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  4. ↑ "Searchencrypt.com Analytics - Market Share Stats & Traffic Ranking". www.similarweb.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  5. ↑ "Search Encrypt". chrome.google.com. Retrieved 2018-01-02.
  6. ↑ "Contact Search Encrypt". www.searchencrypt.com. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
  7. ↑ "SSL Server Test (Powered by Qualys SSL Labs)". www.ssllabs.com. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  8. ↑ "FAQ". www.searchencrypt.com. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  9. ↑ "Search Encrypt Has Better Privacy By Default Than DuckDuckGo - Search Encrypt Blog". Search Encrypt Blog. 2018-07-13. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
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