Ixquick
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|---|---|
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| Internet search engine | |
| languages | 18th |
| operator | Surfboard Holding BV |
| Registration | not possible |
| On-line | 1998 (currently discontinued) |
| https://www.ixquick.eu/ | |
Ixquick was one from the Netherlands originating metasearch engine that voluntarily undertook private data from users not to capture or store. A protected request via TLS connection was also available . Support for Ixquick was discontinued in April 2018, as the same functions are offered by the Startpage search engine .
history
Ixquick was founded in 1998 by David Bodnick. The company is owned by Surfboard Holding BV, which bought the search engine in 2000. The business model was based on the sale of contextual advertising (sponsorship results).
According to the self-assessment, no log files with user-related personal data were saved. Previously, log files were stored for 48 hours; By overwriting the log files with new logs, a possible reconstruction should be prevented and thus it should be ensured that it was no longer possible to infer the user. The aforementioned temporary storage of the data took place for the purpose of analysis and the creation of statistics; abuse should also be traceable. According to its own information, some of the Ixquick servers were hosted in the USA and were therefore subject, like all servers in the USA, to the PATRIOT Act and were obliged to inform US authorities such as the FBI , the NSA or the CIA without a court order To grant access to their own servers. Since it was a Dutch company, it was not affected by the law of silence (national security) that existed in the USA and was able to publish the access. According to Ixquick, however, search queries from Europe were generally directed to European servers, unless there were technical problems in individual cases. Since 2014 there has been a new function in the settings to fix the server location for yourself.
As part of the anniversary event to mark the 30th anniversary of the Schleswig-Holstein State Data Protection Act, the European Data Protection Officer Peter Hustinx awarded the first European data protection seal of approval EuroPriSe to the meta search engine ixquick.com on July 14, 2008 . On January 28, 2009, Ixquick received the top grade “excellent”. Search Engine Watch named Ixquick the best meta search engine in 2000, 2002 and 2004.
Range of functions
Ixquick originally combined various search engines, including Google. As of October 2015, only Yahoo! , Gigablast and Yandex queried. A star system reflected this by giving each entry one star per source. A search result marked with two stars means that two sources provided the result in question. Ixquick could not only search for websites, video and image searches were also possible. These functions were implemented as search engine proxies with only one source each (videos: YouTube , images: Bing ) and were therefore not in themselves a meta search.
Regardless of this, Ixquick stated on its own website to be "the most powerful meta search engine in the world". At the same time, one found on the website below the search results the note “In partnership with Yahoo !, Yandex and 100's more” (translated as “In partnership with Yahoo !, Yandex and hundreds more”). This exaggerated and misleading self-portrayal is continued in the slogan “The most discreet search engine in the world” on the homepage, which has neither been proven nor withstand direct comparison with competitors specializing in data protection such as MetaGer .
In addition to the usual search functions, the Ixquick toolbar offered the option of searching for information on an unstructured website, using a pop-up blocker and adding smileys to e-mails. Personal settings could be adjusted and the language changed. In the basic setting , youth protection filters were activated.
Ixquick requires JavaScript for further searches and to make personal settings . Access times and personal settings have been stored in cookies . Alternatively, you could save the settings by generating a URL.
Changeover to startpage
Since March 29, 2016, Ixquick.com has been redirected to the Startpage site . This was justified with the focus on one product and the resulting better result for the user. Startpage uses the anonymized results from Google . Initially, Ixquick and Startpage offered exactly the same functions both via the websites (.de, .com, .eu, .info) and the apps ; support for Ixquick was discontinued from April 2018.
Individual evidence
- ^ Ixquick Q&A. (PDF) January 2009, accessed on January 27, 2012 (English).
- ↑ EuroPriSe recertifies data protection friendly search engine Ixquick.com. (No longer available online.) ULD January 28, 2009, archived from the original on May 20, 2012 ; Retrieved January 27, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ixquick protects your privacy! Retrieved January 27, 2012 .
- ^ Ixquick Company Information: Company Background 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013
- ↑ Awarding of the 1st “European Privacy Seal”. (No longer available online.) European Privacy Seal, July 14, 2008, archived from the original on May 18, 2012 ; Retrieved January 27, 2012 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ What makes Ixquick so special? Surfboard Holding BV, accessed September 24, 2015 .
- ↑ Downloading the Ixquick toolbar. Surfboard Holding BV, accessed January 27, 2012 .
- ↑ See the interface for specifying personal settings at Ixquick.
- ↑ Save your settings without cookies. January 2, 2012, accessed January 27, 2012 .
- ↑ Why is Ixquick no longer available? Startpage, May 17, 2018, accessed June 26, 2018 .
