‘Better’ is relative :) is it better than using something like SearXNG? No. But for those people who insist on using Google, its better to do a proxied search than a first-hand one.
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pfr@lemmy.sdf.org 4 months ago
Someone explain to be why this is better than using DDG or Qwant or SearX?
leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 months ago
ozymandias117@lemmy.world 4 months ago
Finding a searxng instance and entering a random search term, the first 10 pages of results all came from google.
Checking the preferences, there were 4 search, and 6 of the other toggles enabled.
Even enabling all engines and rerunning the search, the first 13 results were listed as google
Is it meaningfully different from this offering if all the results it picks seemingly come from Google?
If I disable all but mojeek and qwant, all the results came from mojeek
thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe 4 months ago
It’s not, but it is better than using google
elric@lemm.ee 4 months ago
Honest question: how can it be better to search Google through a proxy than using Google? You’re still feeding the beast?
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 4 months ago
The beast eats personal data and sells it as ad revenue. If you are searching via proxy they can still collect general interest stats but not link it to an individual. It is not as profitable for them.
Ulrich@feddit.org 4 months ago
The Beast is fed by collecting data about you and then serving you back ads accordingly. This strips the data and the ads, so you feed them nothing.
pfr@lemmy.sdf.org 4 months ago
I genuinely feel that Google’s search results have gotten really bad, over the last years especially. I find DDG results to be much better generally. If Mullvad Leta also proxied DDG for another layer of privacy then I’d use it, but not even it’s only search engines are Google and Brave.
null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 months ago
Searx can provide a much better experience.
For example, on the instance I’m using if a search result is a Google thread, the link will direct you to a redlib reddit proxy.
Bz1sen@lemmy.world 4 months ago
And do you reveal which instance you are using? Or is it a private one?
thanksforallthefish@literature.cafe 4 months ago
When you search google it fingerprints your browser then attachs that to the other information it amasses from tracking your other activities from other websites.
By not giving them the search content you reduce what they know.
Scenario a) you search up particular health issues on google, for the US say “how do I know I’m pregnant” then you go to an online pharmacy (Walgreen is the big US one I think) and order “plan b” (anti pregnancy drug). Google doesnt even need to know from walgreens what you ordered it will infer a pregnancy test and/or plan b then from later activity
Scenario b) you use proxy and thus google knows nothing of your search, then you go to walgreens, for all google knows you ordered makeup or hayfever tablets.
Scenario a is or will be illegal in some US states - best not to leak it.
Not a perfect example, i can poke holes in it. The point is searches are usually sensitive info, keeping them out of the hands of the most egregious activity collator keeps more privacy then if you don’t. The proxy buries your senstive search in with thousands of others that can’t be attached to you