[jqpabc123]

clearly labelled, contextual ads based on your current search query and a subscription option without ads

Perfect! This is the way the god of the internet intended search engines to work.

But DuckDuckGo does the same and currently provides superior results based on a very brief test.

So good luck with that.

[notoverthere]

DuckDuckGo also allows you to switch off ads, for free, without any fuss or adblocker needed. Just go to the settings page.

Although if you aren't going to support DDG with ad revenue, I'd suggest supporting with a donation if you can afford it and value their service.

[jqpabc123]

I really don't mind helping DDG take advertisers for all they are worth as long as it doesn't cost me my privacy or waste too much of my time.

And if they take something away from Google in the process --- that's just an extra bonus.

Turnabout is fair play don't you think? Google has worked very hard to take privacy away from users.

[candiddevmike]

What would happen to DDG if Microsoft stopped letting them use Bing? What does MS get out of this relationship?

[jqpabc123]

What does MS get out of this relationship?

My guess --- a portion of the ad revenue.

[godzillabrennus]

DDG is amazing. To good to be viable I’m usually thinking.

[Brian_K_White]

DDG sucked hard enough I'm now paying for kagi.

[giancarlostoro]

DDG rubbed me the wrong way when they decided to "filter misinformation" which is an arbitrary and biased thing. I don't side with Russia or anything, but I've seen this sort of thing get out of hand.

[bobbyskelton41]

It's a green flag for me when services do this because it shows that they are taking an ethical approach to what they are providing. Too many companies throw ethics out the window and punt the responsibility to the end-user. Misinformation, like anything else, can be regulated responsibly. It is not the worst situation if the media is controlled to skew towards a certain viewpoint. It is the worst situation if the service doesn't give you a slap in the face when you routinely engage in misinformation. There is never any good outcome from misinformation, while it only erodes society's ability to cohesively react to situations in the healthiest possible way.

[6510]

One of my favorite topics is treated as misinformation and completely scrubbed from google and Bing. The idea seems to be the assumption that one must believe all that one reads. Imagine a discussion where everyone agrees?

Stract produced only good results. Unusually good.

[Fnoord]

> The idea seems to be the assumption that one must believe all that one reads. Imagine a discussion where everyone agrees?

So I don't know what topic you're on about but the one you replied to I do. And in that context, these two statements unfortunately do not add up as the second one is a huge stretch from the first.

The misinformation in context (Russian propaganda, probably on rt.com or something) is designed to mislead. Not inform; mislead. This really is two steps further than a discussion between two equal discussion partners who disagree. A healthy discussion like that is based on arguments which are supported by premises. Russian propaganda is based on bullshit. It tries to spread as much bullshit as possible, then see what sticks.

Defaults should be reasonable for the general public, the average user. They should be harmless. The term used for that nowadays is SFW.

You don't want NSFW content by default; a search engine should by default remove that, but leave the option open to the user to do sift through it. For example, you don't want naked ladies on your screen at work or at home (if your wife or kids are parents are watching it might turn awkward).

[giancarlostoro]

> but leave the option open to the user to do sift through it.

I would be okay with this, similar with how on HN you can see dead threads.

[gettodachoppa]

>The misinformation in context (Russian propaganda, probably on rt.com or something) is designed to mislead. Not inform; mislead.

As a 3rd party, I can assure you I feel the same way towards the American propaganda that dominates search results, social media, and more. No, this isn't whataboutism. No, you can't point at minute differences and use them to pretend there's a huge difference between you and Russia. No, you can't tell me America is better because you don't go to jail when you impotently complain about your government. You are, and always have been, a bigger threat to the world than Russia ever was, a bigger hypocrite, a more violent monster, and a far more effective propagandist.

It's some real 1984 shit and it's sad citizens of America and its vassal states (all of Europe, Canada, Australia) don't see it.

[bobbyskelton41]

America (and really any other non-authoritarian state) is better because it allows change. Doesn't matter where we are now. What matters is that we can change it and that the systems that exist reasonably protect that ability.

[ralusek]

I must know