Why I Use Uruky, a Private Search Engine

General Project Showcase
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Fair enough, @DanielM . We originally only had a Kagi vs Uruky and Google vs Uruky comparison, to inform people on the differences. The others were added because we were getting emails of people asking us for the differences.

Using “vs” can seem adversarial, but it’s a common search pattern we need to consider (people can’t find or understand Uruky in a vaccum). Note we don’t do the usual “blog posts” or social media for SEO and discoverability, for example. That was a line we drew, though people keep asking us to build a blog to talk about the features we build more deeply. We want to build a great search product that gives people choice and protects their privacy as much as possible; not manage media or blog posts and whims of other search engines to show/disappear on them.

The testimonials were also another thing people kept asking us for, because Uruky is very new and small; they wanted some kind of proof that others had tried and used it. We can say we have over 200 monthly active accounts, but there’s no way to verify that, so the testimonials seemed like a great way to give some proof. We also haven’t paid for those, and when cold-emailing journalists or bloggers about Uruky, we always ask them to tell us about what they find great and lacking, not write about it publicly, unless they want.

Anyway, I’m curious, given your restrictions, what tools do you recommend, because I don’t know any that don’t have comparisons or testimonials?

Thanks.

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42

I understand your message @brn , and it’s great that you have principles.
However, you mentioned the word -vs-. That’s simply one piece of the puzzle. A true independent investigator doesn’t act like a police detective, but rather on multiple levels.

As you well said: We also haven’t paid for those, and when cold-emailing journalists or bloggers about Uruky, we always ask them to tell us about what they find great and lacking, not write about it publicly, unless they want.

→ but I’m telling you: people like me—if you want to attract us, I need your service to be a mystery at minimum. Why? It’s very simple. You have to be curious. IVPN is a mystery, or PriEco which you yourselves use as a connection (the developer mentioned the competition—that’s something I won’t forget). The proof comes on its own, not before. You have to allow real surprises to show what something truly is. I understand being verifiable and genuine, but have you ever stopped to think: are we helping people think?

Now, I’ll use your curiosity at the same time as the question by putting you in my shoes:

In the title, in one part it says: No LLM assisted search.

→ The person talks about AI while simultaneously being a crutch and addicted, etc., but I ask: how does Uruky help people in these situations? Will it fall into the temptation of AI use and become just another company on the list, or will it go back to the old days when you played with the neighborhood kids without technology? Will they take responsibility or blame the person, as the terms of service clearly state? What impact does this part of the testimonial have on other people who read it? Continue…

There you have my answer, based on myself, in reality itself.

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Thanks, @DanielM , I think I understand your point, but I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at. We’re not trying to and won’t try to fix all the problems in the world or offer a product/service that fits everyone.

We can’t fix people’s dependency of generative AI. If they want that, they won’t get it on Uruky; there are plenty of other services offering that.

I’ve mentioned this before somewhere, but we’d rather close Uruky and release the source code under AGPLv3 or MIT than compromise account privacy or offer something with generative AI in it.

Relatedly, I don’t think you’ll find any service where the legal terms will put the responsibility on themselves, it’s just a can of worms and a huge liability for the business.

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FWIW, I also do not understand the point @DanielM is making.

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45

Is email the only contact method? I’m interested in trying this out, wondering if there’s a Discord/Matrix room

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@brn @notwithstanding

Thanks for telling me that about AI, Bruno.
Now, I’m going to convert my previous messages into universal human language (non-technical) so that people (those seeking the truth) can understand not only what I’m saying, but also see what you see and think for themselves.

I’ll put together an easy scene:

I go out for a walk from my house in the quiet, sunny countryside without a cloud in the sky. After 48 minutes, I see a river to my right, a forest straight ahead, and nothing but green grass to my left. I choose to head into the unknown forest I’ve never visited before. I get close and observe from the outside: I see dirt, branches, and other things.

I keep going because there’s a mystery about the place that draws me in.

I scan 260 degrees around me and I see what looks like quicksand, a cave, and the air feels a bit chilly.

  1. The quicksand is a possible red flag.
  2. The cave could be empty, dangerous, or something else entirely.
  3. The cold isn’t normal if it’s roughly 24 degrees outside the forest.

I ask myself:

  • Do I keep going or do I turn back?

Hint: Right here it turns into a mystery with possible risks and requires caution.

I keep going—not toward the cave or the quicksand—but as I walk, from this vantage point I can see better that it’s not quicksand but fixed sand, and the cave from here is still an even stranger mystery.

I ask myself:

  • What’s the next step now?

End.

Now, let’s convert this scene to a basic technical level, applying it to the PriEco.net search engine with three questions:

  • What is this search engine? Who’s behind it? Are there problems here?

The engine’s page is a mystery because it’s odd: it doesn’t have terms of service, a simple interface, a few social media buttons, and other basic things.

Possible risks (keeping the cave in mind): Could it be a fake search engine? Why is it so simple yet strange at the same time?

Right there we have a reality of how a person can think for themselves—whereas in Uruky, your thinking can be hidden because it hands you easy information (testimonials and comparisons), and whether it’s real or not?
The odds of passive consumption increasing are so high in people who receive as much information as possible—they’re vulnerable without questioning what’s behind it all.

I’m not blaming Bruno or JojoYou (from PriEco); Bruno already gave the reason why and what they’re there for (that’s his decision). JojoYou is a test subject because it’s easier for training (site web).

The reason I’ve written all these messages above is to understand the Uruky team more deeply—not maliciously, but to be able to think about whether I recommend it to others, or simply advise it, or nothing at all. Now the community has valuable information and will have to choose whether to use the service or not.

One more thing I want to tell you, Bruno—we don’t know each other and yet we’ve had a public conversation. My messages might sound harsh and like attacks, but in reality, it depends on who’s interpreting them.

If I need more information, I’ll let you know.

If you have any doubts or questions about my messages, let me know.

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Only email for now, to keep it easier for us to manage customer support. We have some customers on direct Signal messages, who’ve requested it, after sending an introductory email.

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Thanks for the delightful clarification, @DanielM. Your messages haven’t sounded harsh or attacks, they were just unclear to me. Sorry if my requests for clarification made it look as such.

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