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> So many people are starting to de-Google their life I'm sorry to be that guy but... citation needed. What evidence is there that this is anything but a fring
by cletus 8y ago
> So many people are starting to de-Google their life
I'm sorry to be that guy but... citation needed. What evidence is there that this is anything but a fringe movement within the tech community let alone mainstream in any way, shape or form? And "common thing to see in HN posts lately" isn't evidence of that, sorry.
> DuckDuckGo reached 1 billion monthly searches
Two questions:
1. How much time do you think it takes for Google to reach 1B searches? and
2. How many DDG users routinely use !g (or otherwise use Google results)?
As much as HNers like to bang the drum about "privacy" the term is ill-defined. Take search because its straightforward. Your search results are personalized by a bunch of factors including, but not limited to:
- Previous searches
- Location
- Language
- Inferred or actual demographics
The fringe privacy element is I guess most concerned with previous searches? Or is it all of the above? And if you say that location is not OK, take a simple search for "bakery". Isn't it better UX to show local bakeries?
Another question: the alternative to "free" (ie ad-supported) models is user pays. How exactly does this work for users in the developing world for whom $5/month might be a significant amount of money? Will they value their "privacy" the same way?
The assumption (by DDGers and their ilk) that using [Big company products] is some Faustian bargain is hyperbolic and unsubstantiated.
- wolco 8y agoIn places where $5 a month might be too much they are worth much less to google with fewer people targeting that group. Privacy isn't as big of a concern as access issues. No one targets the 99% percentile directly. It is much cheaper to go non-targeted advertising and hit as many people as possible perhaps targeting at the country/region or language level only.