Carole wants to know what we think of this Start Page
Have you ever heard of something called Start Page (see https://www.startpage.com/eng/protect-privacy.html ). Someone had posted something about this on Facebook, so curious what you “guys” think about it. I am not interested myself, but would like to let others know if it is good or not. Thanks Carole
Our Answer
Hi Carole. We both really hate it when Web site pander to the paranoid. This site just about takes the prize. They ramble on about the dangers of cookies and privacy, yet on their Questions & Answers page they say this:
Q: What are “cookies” and does Startpage use any? A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent and saved to your computers’ hard drive when visiting a site. Startpage uses only one cookie called “preferences”. This cookie is to remember the search preferences you saved for your next visit. It expires after not visiting Startpage for 90 days and is anonymous.
That may ease the minds of those who have no clue how the Internet works, but those who do will tell you that there is no way for Startpage to know who you are without dropping a cookie on your computer and recognizing you when you return to that page without an IP address. They’re talking out of both sides of their mouth.
It’s bad enough that there is so much misinformation about “cookies” out there in the first place. It’s even worse when a site plays on the fears of those who really don’t understand what a cookie is and what it’s for. What it can be for is exactly what Startpage uses it for – to identify you (your computer) and remember your preferences. Though they bash other sites or “storing” IP addresses, Startpage stores IP addresses too – but they claim they don’t. There is no way that Startpage could recognize your computer without identifying it on the network by its IP address.
We had to laugh out loud when we read this on their Privacy page:
“Your privacy is under attack!
Every time you use a regular search engine, your search data is recorded. Major search engines capture your IP address and use tracking cookies to make a record of your search terms, the time of your visit, and the links you choose – then they store that information in a giant database.
Those searches reveal a shocking amount of personal information about you, such as your interests, family circumstances, political leanings, medical conditions, and more. This information is modern-day gold for marketers, government officials, hackers and criminals – all of whom would love to get their hands on your private search data.”
Of course Startpage has their hands on your IP address or otherwise they couldn’t save your preferences. Startpage is not doing any one a favor by publishing all this misinformation in order to boost their own traffic.
If you’re looking for a really good and private search engine because you’re paranoid about Google (we’re not), don’t use Startpage if only because their scare tactics are disgusting. Use http://duckduckgo.com/ . They protect your privacy without resorting to pandering to the paranoia. You can read more about DuckDuckGo here.
Finally we found it quite bizarre that someone who is obviously concerned about privacy would post this on Facebook of all places. Oh the irony.