Chad McCullough
Well, I switched back to @StartpageSearch for my search after a few years of using DuckDuckGo , but then almost immediately read that they (Stargpage) launched their own AI service.

What fucking search engine can I use that doesn't use AI? This is just utterly fucking ridiculous.

#fuckai #noai #ai
Feb 5 at 12:38amWeb
Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@StartpageSearch Okay, I know about DDG and their "noai" service. They are still pushing AI.
Show threadAmin, minor deity of the legume realmFeb 5

@cmccullough

Well, I can recommend you try out small engines from a few of my Search Engine dev friends:

https://marginalia-search.com/
https://unobtanium.rocks/
https://stract.com/

I'd recommend my own engine but my senior year of college put me sorely behind on the development process for it and I haven't gotten back into it yet. Maybe in a few months. ;)

Marginalia Search

Marginalia Search is a small independent do-it-yourself search engine for surprising but content-rich websites that never ask you to accept cookies or subscribe to newsletters. The goal is to bring you the sort of grass fed, free range HTML your grandma used to write.

Marginalia Search
Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
https://vanish.startpage.com is the Startpage AI search service.

If a company, in any way, is using AI in their services that they offer, it's a no from me. I just won't support companies that are jumping on the AI wagon and then pushing it out to their customers.
Install Startpage App

Search without tracking or profiling on Startpage.

Show threadCM ThiedeFeb 5
@cmccullough them too? Geez
Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@cmthiede Yep! Hugely disappointed.

@StartpageSearch
Show threadDaniel QuinnFeb 5
@cmccullough which search providers don't use AI? Even @kagihq has it, though they don't seem to push it.
Show threadCosminFeb 5
@cmccullough Ugh! And I had just switched from DuckDuckBing to Startpage exactly because it seemed to be slopless.
Show threadEdFeb 5

@cmccullough @StartpageSearch

https://www.mojeek.com/

Just learned about it today via @Em0nM4stodon

Mojeek

Mojeek is a web search engine that provides unbiased, fast, and relevant search results combined with a no tracking privacy policy.

Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@EdCates Thanks! I've heard of them and will check them out. @StartpageSearch @Em0nM4stodon
Show threadAmin, minor deity of the legume realmFeb 5

@cmccullough @EdCates

They're not bad and they're probably the oldest of the independent indexes, but they do use AI summaries, or at least they did.

Show threadD. MoonfireFeb 5
@cmccullough @StartpageSearch I mostly use https://noai.duckduckgo.com/ because it's better than nothing? I mean, I also use https://clew.se/ because I know there is no AI there but the results aren't quite as extensive, which isn't a bad thing.
DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of mind.

The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

DuckDuckGo
Show threadAmin, minor deity of the legume realmFeb 5

@dmoonfire @cmccullough @StartpageSearch

I mean, I also use https://clew.se/ because I know there is no AI there but the results aren't quite as extensive, which isn't a bad thing.

Working on it! Kinda dropped it in the midst of the craziness that was senior year. :)

Clew

Clew is a web search engine trying to be different from the rest. We are the magic ball of string leading through the internet's labyrinth.

Show threadD. MoonfireFeb 5
@amin @cmccullough @StartpageSearch Eh, its a work of love and I am far from someone who can complain about getting distracted with projects.
Show threadsotolfFeb 5
@dmoonfire @cmccullough @StartpageSearch Yeah, I use the noai.ddg as well, at least I'm able to try and send a message and get less shitty results at the same time.
Show threadTerminal TiltFeb 5

@cmccullough @StartpageSearch

I keep coming back to this topic, almost weekly at this point. Right now, the best I can recommend are @Mojeek and @MetaGer They are what I have been using and I highly recommend them both, but they're not perfect solutions for everyone.

The catch with Mojeek is it is closed source and for profit, but it is still a very good independent project. While MetaGer is opensource and nonprofit, you will still have to make a small donation to use it (I have been paying $10 every quarter or so).

There is also SearXNG, but it has its own drawbacks as well, though you can selfhost it.

Whenever this topic comes up, you will always get people who bring up noai.duckduckgo.com, but that doesn't fix the issue that they are still promoting and benefiting from their own LLMs.

Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@terminaltilt Thanks! And totally agree with DDG and noai.

@StartpageSearch @Mojeek @MetaGer
Show threadfloFeb 5
@terminaltilt @cmccullough

Personally, I use https://search.disroot.org/.
What do you think about it?

(Another possibility would be https://frogfind.com - "for vintage computers" - however http only.)
Disroot SearX

SearXNG — a privacy-respecting, open metasearch engine

Show threadTerminal TiltFeb 5

@fasnix @cmccullough

@disroot is a wonderful organization and was my first stop when I started my deGoogle journey. Search.disroot.org is basically a SearXNG instance and it is really good.

I honestly forgot about it because I was using it for abit and they had some server issues and I jumped to other options and didn't come back. Thank you for reminding me about it!

Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@terminaltilt Nice! Thanks for sharing.

@fasnix @disroot
Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@fasnix I will check them out. Thanks!

@terminaltilt
Show threadVicente ⁂Feb 5
@StartpageSearch @cmccullough try https://noai.duckduckgo.com
DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of mind.

The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

DuckDuckGo
Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@vgarzareyna @StartpageSearch I know about it, but they are still pushing AI.
Show threadRuben Schade  🔰 🇦🇺Feb 5

@cmccullough

Yeah, it's incredibly grim :(

I feel like I'm back in 2019 and everything was keen to tell me about their blockchain integration. I expect it will have as much longevity too (or at least, we can only hope).

Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@rubenerd 👍️
Show threadkingsfoilFeb 5

@cmccullough @StartpageSearch

The only startpage AI related product I'm aware of is vanish.startpage.com, which isn't really an AI service they run, it's just a proxy to anonymize your requests out to major LLMs, the exact way they proxy your searches and anonymize them before hitting google's servers.

That's always been their model, put a proxy server between the user and the mainstream service with anonymization.

Show threadkingsfoilFeb 5

@cmccullough @StartpageSearch

This is sort of similar (but not completely) to how DDG sources many search results from Bing. (https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/sources).

For a truly controlled search experience check out searxng.org, which is a meta-search engine and way more involved.

Startpage is essentially "Google, but private." I've been using it for years and it does not integrate LLMs into your searches (https://www.reddit.com/r/StartpageSearch/comments/1ee99h5/comment/lg0hcbb/)

Where do DuckDuckGo search results come from? - DuckDuckGo Help Pages

DuckDuckGo is an independent internet privacy company that offers a private alternative to Google search & Chrome in one free app.

Show threadjon_bonFeb 5

@cmccullough @StartpageSearch

Sorry, not heard of this. Is there any article on this you can recommend?

(It's not startpage dot ai right? That one seems to be another company altogether, owned by BluePenguin, LCC. Some tab manager for Safari, iOS)

Show threadChad McCulloughFeb 5
@jon_bon https://vanish.startpage.com

@StartpageSearch
Install Startpage App

Search without tracking or profiling on Startpage.

Show threadjon_bonFeb 5

@cmccullough

OK. Sigh... Well.

At least it's a chat thingy only, proxy writing to various LLM:s, not integrated into *the search itself* like others. So the way I see it, personally, I believe I can still use Startpage as a search engine. Although I wish they never even started that AI proxy chat stuff.

Show threadDavid WhittemoreFeb 5
@cmccullough noai.duckduckgo.com is what I use
DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of mind.

The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

DuckDuckGo
Show threadDawn Tåke 🌙 Feb 5
@cmccullough
Supposedly Lycos is AI free because they've done fuck all for years. Still running though.
Show threadShadow GliderFeb 5
@cmccullough
I use SearXNG, it doesn't have any "AI"
Show threadMark Wyner Won’t Comply Feb 5

@cmccullough

Try @Mojeek. They’re gaining momentum. I had some concerns and they actually worked with me to remedy them. That felt really good. And they use their own indexer, too. So they’re not even paying Google or Bing for results.

@StartpageSearch

Show threadBruno PY2TOZFeb 5
@StartpageSearch @cmccullough Depending on the subject, I like #marginaliasearch (marginalia-search.com), which is truly AI-free and functions as a search engine should. The database is rather limited since this is a one man's work, but totally worth a try especially with niche topics. I've found true gems in personal home pages that would otherwise be buried in a pile of SEO-optimized crap by bigger engines. The #marginalia project is an ode to the old web.