Introducing Waterfox Private Search (Beta)
A new meta-search engine using Google’s index, they plan to have Bing, Brave, Mojeek as index option in the future.
As article mentioned, they’re planning to make it sustainable by:
- A free tier supported by privacy-friendly ads that don’t track user. Ads based on user’s current search.
- A subscription-based tier that removes all ads.
They may reconsidering their approach if they can’t generate enough revenue to make it sustainable.
Would people disable their ad blocker just for the search engine?
A Note About Ad Blockers
I understand that many Waterfox users are privacy-conscious and commonly use ad blockers. While I fully respect your right to control what loads in your browser, I’d like to gently ask that you consider disabling your ad blocker when using Waterfox Private Search.
The ads we show are contextual (based only on your current search, not your history), non-intrusive, and don’t track you across the web. They represent our primary means of making this service sustainable while respecting your privacy.
If you appreciate having a privacy-focused search alternative that isn’t controlled by big tech, allowing these minimally invasive ads is one of the most direct ways you can support the project’s continued development and independence.
I wouldn’t.
Unfortunately, there’s always the risk of malicious ads which would try to run malicious code if you click on them.
Although I’m interested in ways to support efforts like private search, I would need a different way.
None of us are so super-disciplined that we would never fall for an ad and click on it, or accidentally click on an ad when we mishandle a mouse. The safest option is to have the ad blocker always on.
Aside from the risk of malicious ads, allowing them on the search page means the ads loading the same code on the search page which they would load elsewhere, which means the code will collect information about the system.
So no, no exception for a search page.
