5 ms·

I mean, maybe it's because you named your search engine "Cliqz"

• wpietri 6y ago
  I can only think that name sounded much better to German ears, as that's where it started? Yes, to me it's reminiscent of clique, which is not a word I like, but with a mutation that makes it seem dubious and low-rent.
  • Tomte 6y ago
    As a German, to me the name always sounded scammy.
    • wpietri 6y ago
      Hah! So much for my attempt to be generous.
    • dessant 6y ago
      You might also have gotten that impression when it auto-installed through unrelated chip.de downloads [1], without a way to opt out. This [2] post also documents Cliqz being covertly auto-installed with .NET Framework. [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/74vt08/psa_huber_burda_media_the_majority_owner_of_cliqz/ https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/comments/74vt08/psa_huber_b... [2] https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_m&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625115547/http://www.compboard.de/blog/cliqz-deinstallieren/ https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_m...
      • nullymcnull 6y ago
        > This [2] post also documents Cliqz being covertly auto-installed with .NET Framework. No, it documents the same thing as the other link - that unrelated chip.de downloads (including .NET Framework, though I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would source that from chip.de) are by default wrapping any downloads in a "secure CHIP installer" which is chock full of dodgy adware installations, apparently including Cliqz without any mention or option to remove.
        • dessant 6y ago
          Yes, the default installers from chip.de were embedding Cliqz and used malware distribution techniques to have Cliqz stealthily installed along with other software. The important part is that Chip and Cliqz are owned by the same parent company, Hubert Burda Media. I wasn't referring to the official .NET Framework installer either that's shipped by Microsoft.
          • solarkraft 6y ago
            TIL about Hubert Burda Media. They also own Cyberport, Focus, HolidayCheck, the German Huffington Post and Xing.
  • GordonS 6y ago
    To me as a native English speaker, I don't get "clique" - it both sounds and looks like some kind of scammy ad company though. The name just exudes sleeze. I've seen the name several times on HN, and would never have guessed it was a search engine!
    • code_duck 6y ago
      'Cliques' sounds less sleazy than 'clicks'. Cliqz somehow sounds like the website equivalent of a video porn booth, just in the search industry instead.
  • dewey 6y ago
    Definitely doesn't sound better to German ears. It always sounded like some scammy browser plugin or toolbar from the 90s.
• seph-reed 6y ago
  Should have gone with Queery
  • x32n23nr 6y ago
    If you're looking for opportunities, we have an opening in our branding department, where I think your talents will fit well.
• atombender 6y ago
  People mocked the name "Google" as impossibly silly when they first launched. (And did you see their first logo [1]?) Names mean absolutely nothing. [1] https://cdn.digitfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/google_first_logo.jpg https://cdn.digitfreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/google...
  • exolymph 6y ago
    But... "Cliqz" sounds like an existing word that does mean something? So?
    • Igelau 6y ago
      Google sounds like googol.
  • yellowapple 6y ago
    Okay, but "Google" doesn't sound like a stereotypical spyware company. ...alright, maybe it does now, but still.