5 ms·

There are alternative search engines to Google, in particular some where base censorship is not so easily enforced: https://yandex.com/search/?text=sci-hub htt

by ur-whale 10mo ago

There are alternative search engines to Google, in particular some where base censorship is not so easily enforced: https://yandex.com/search/?text=sci-hub https://yandex.com/search/?text=sci-hub

tonyhart7 10mo ago
its crazy that russian search engine is more "open" compared to US search engine
- ch4s3 10mo ago
  On this one particular issue. There are certainly things blocked by Russian search engines which have to comply with a rather lengthy list of banned sites since about 2012.
- rootusrootus 10mo ago
  If by more open you mean not easily censored by anybody but Putin. But it's hard to imagine that it's actually more open by any reasonable definition of that word.
  - anonym29 10mo ago
    By open, they mean fewer results censored. The west censors more results overall than Russia, kind of like how more UK citizens are arrested for speech crimes than Russians, or kind of like how abortion is more legal in Russia than it is in half of the USA. Which isn't to say Russia is a bastion of free speech, it's not, you still can't go hold an LGBTQIA2s+ pride parade or publicly march demanding you be given the right to hold the parade in the future without being thrown in prison, but they're a poor case study for authoritarianism when the west is rapidly turning more authoritarian than Russia is, while Russia hasn't really changed much in that regard in the last quarter century or so.
    - gfdvgfffv 10mo ago
      “Practical freedom” is a very important measure of freedom. If you are generally more free to do what you want, how much does it matter that you live in a dictatorship? If I live in a democracy with 10,000 laws I can’t meaningful affect with 1 vote, am I free?
    - NicuCalcea 10mo ago
      Get off it, Russia is arresting people for a single web search: https://zona.media/news/2025/12/10/glukhikh https://zona.media/news/2025/12/10/glukhikh If you think the West is becoming more authoritarian than Russia, you're either misinformed or lying.
      - user205738 10mo ago
        When did a 3,000₽ ($37) fine for searching for nazi symbols turn into an arrest? Your source doesn't say anything about this.
        NicuCalcea 10mo ago
        > Sergei Glukhikh, 20, was arrested in September under a law that had come into force earlier that month, and which raised concerns about expanded surveillance and potential abuse by law enforcement. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/10/first-russian-fined-40-for-googling-extremist-content-a91397 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/10/first-russian-fine... Hope that clarifies it for you.
        user205738 10mo ago
        The Moscow Times has the same relationship to Moscow as the RFA has to Chinese news. This is a propaganda mouthpiece, thepurpose the purpose of which is to engage in cherrypicking, finding isolated cases and making a big deal out of a molehill. If it's also going to be against Russia, it would be great. >"found Glukhikh guilty and imposed a fine of 3,000 rubles ($38)." "Glukhikh, who did not attend his sentencing hearing, has denied his guilt." And also: "FSB officer noticed Glukhikh searching for extremist content while riding next to him on the bus" That is, an employee of the services saw a search for a banned organization engaged in the murder of Russians and the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine and reported it. You must admit that this is not the same as just looking for information on Yandex. And the parental comment refers specifically to the Yandex search, and not to isolated cases when an FSB agent suddenly stands behind you. Keep in mind that millions of Russians search for information about VPN and the rest every day, openly discuss it on social networks and do not receive any punishment for it.
- alterom 10mo ago
  >its crazy that russian search engine is more "open" compared to US search engine It's crazy that you think there's only one search engine in the US. Try this one: https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub
- thomassmith65 10mo ago
  That's not the case. https://ft.com/content/8a71052d-d26d-4d71-95d8-c8886ca4fdea https://ft.com/content/8a71052d-d26d-4d71-95d8-c8886ca4fdea
  - groundzeros2015 10mo ago
    Paywall
    - thomassmith65 10mo ago
      Oops, sorry about that! mirror: https://archive.ph/GTnS3 https://archive.ph/GTnS3
      - thomassmith65 10mo ago
        Just realized "archive.ph" is inappropriate for this topic... https://hackread.com/fbi-wants-to-know-who-runs-archive-ph https://hackread.com/fbi-wants-to-know-who-runs-archive-ph Today is not my day.
- red_Seashell_32 10mo ago
  It’s most definitely not.
  - groundzeros2015 10mo ago
    There are countless websites and topics removed from Google. It’s impossible to say.
fao_ 10mo ago
I really like yep.com, as per https://www.searchenginemap.com/ https://www.searchenginemap.com/ it's one of only four search engines that run their own web crawlers. Results are slow but incredibly high-quality.
- homeless_engi 10mo ago
  Yandex is also yellow on that map. It lists five search engines that run their own crawlers -- Google, Bing, Yandex, Mojeek, and Yep
  - kayart_dev 10mo ago
    Brave Search has an independept index (https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/28/brave-search-doesnt-use-bings-index-anymore/ https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/28/brave-search-doesnt-use-bi...) and Qwant and Ecosia recently announced that they would be working on an independent European search index too (https://blog.ecosia.org/eusp/ https://blog.ecosia.org/eusp/)
alterom 10mo ago
>There are alternative search engines to Google, ..and of those, I really wouldn't be giving the one under the direct control of Russia's FSB as my top recommendation. A little-known American search engine known as Bing[1] lists Sci-Hub just fine though. [1] https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub
jillesvangurp 10mo ago
You are recommending a search engine that is operating from Russia under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. The Russian state monitors usage and is definitely censoring all sorts of stuff on it. Of course Sci Hub was developed by a Russian, which is probably why Yandex is not censoring it. Also, I don't think the Russian government cares much for intellectual property rights of companies in NATO countries, for obvious reasons. But they are definitely censoring a wide range of other topics. Check this reports for some details on the types of things that Yandex censors: https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/30/disrupted-throttled-and-blocked/state-censorship-control-and-increasing-isolation https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/30/disrupted-throttled-an...
- RobotToaster 10mo ago
  If I was looking for something that is against the interests of Russian oligarchs I wouldn't use yandex. In the same way it has become obvious that you should not use Google if you are looking for something that is against the interests of American oligarchs.
- specproc 10mo ago
  Jeez, gimme a break. The US is rounding up people on the streets, the UK throwing terrorism legislation at pensioners, don't get me started on Israel. Russia is an oppressive and dangerous regime, sure, but in 2025, there's nothing particularly special about it on human rights and censorship. In the context of Western censorship of a global resource, Yandex makes a load of sense.
- baranul 10mo ago
  You don't have to go too far to see such similar censorship in action. It's not just "them over there". Hacker News conducts stealth censorship, shadow banning, and manipulations of all kinds to push artificial narratives, etc... Its about unchecked corruption, abuse, and the misuse of power. It's a mistake to believe such things are only done by "them" in a different country.
  - AlexeyBelov 10mo ago

There are alternative search engines to Google, in particular some where base censorship is not so easily enforced: https://yandex.com/search/?text=sci-hub https://yandex.com/search/?text=sci-hub

tonyhart7 10mo ago

its crazy that russian search engine is more "open" compared to US search engine

ch4s3 10mo ago
On this one particular issue. There are certainly things blocked by Russian search engines which have to comply with a rather lengthy list of banned sites since about 2012.
rootusrootus 10mo ago
If by more open you mean not easily censored by anybody but Putin. But it's hard to imagine that it's actually more open by any reasonable definition of that word.
- anonym29 10mo ago
  By open, they mean fewer results censored. The west censors more results overall than Russia, kind of like how more UK citizens are arrested for speech crimes than Russians, or kind of like how abortion is more legal in Russia than it is in half of the USA. Which isn't to say Russia is a bastion of free speech, it's not, you still can't go hold an LGBTQIA2s+ pride parade or publicly march demanding you be given the right to hold the parade in the future without being thrown in prison, but they're a poor case study for authoritarianism when the west is rapidly turning more authoritarian than Russia is, while Russia hasn't really changed much in that regard in the last quarter century or so.
  - gfdvgfffv 10mo ago
    “Practical freedom” is a very important measure of freedom. If you are generally more free to do what you want, how much does it matter that you live in a dictatorship? If I live in a democracy with 10,000 laws I can’t meaningful affect with 1 vote, am I free?
  - NicuCalcea 10mo ago
    Get off it, Russia is arresting people for a single web search: https://zona.media/news/2025/12/10/glukhikh https://zona.media/news/2025/12/10/glukhikh If you think the West is becoming more authoritarian than Russia, you're either misinformed or lying.
    - user205738 10mo ago
      When did a 3,000₽ ($37) fine for searching for nazi symbols turn into an arrest? Your source doesn't say anything about this.
      - NicuCalcea 10mo ago
        > Sergei Glukhikh, 20, was arrested in September under a law that had come into force earlier that month, and which raised concerns about expanded surveillance and potential abuse by law enforcement. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/10/first-russian-fined-40-for-googling-extremist-content-a91397 https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/12/10/first-russian-fine... Hope that clarifies it for you.
        user205738 10mo ago
        The Moscow Times has the same relationship to Moscow as the RFA has to Chinese news. This is a propaganda mouthpiece, thepurpose the purpose of which is to engage in cherrypicking, finding isolated cases and making a big deal out of a molehill. If it's also going to be against Russia, it would be great. >"found Glukhikh guilty and imposed a fine of 3,000 rubles ($38)." "Glukhikh, who did not attend his sentencing hearing, has denied his guilt." And also: "FSB officer noticed Glukhikh searching for extremist content while riding next to him on the bus" That is, an employee of the services saw a search for a banned organization engaged in the murder of Russians and the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine and reported it. You must admit that this is not the same as just looking for information on Yandex. And the parental comment refers specifically to the Yandex search, and not to isolated cases when an FSB agent suddenly stands behind you. Keep in mind that millions of Russians search for information about VPN and the rest every day, openly discuss it on social networks and do not receive any punishment for it.
alterom 10mo ago
>its crazy that russian search engine is more "open" compared to US search engine It's crazy that you think there's only one search engine in the US. Try this one: https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub
thomassmith65 10mo ago
That's not the case. https://ft.com/content/8a71052d-d26d-4d71-95d8-c8886ca4fdea https://ft.com/content/8a71052d-d26d-4d71-95d8-c8886ca4fdea
- groundzeros2015 10mo ago
  Paywall
  - thomassmith65 10mo ago
    Oops, sorry about that! mirror: https://archive.ph/GTnS3 https://archive.ph/GTnS3
    - thomassmith65 10mo ago
      Just realized "archive.ph" is inappropriate for this topic... https://hackread.com/fbi-wants-to-know-who-runs-archive-ph https://hackread.com/fbi-wants-to-know-who-runs-archive-ph Today is not my day.
red_Seashell_32 10mo ago
It’s most definitely not.
- groundzeros2015 10mo ago
  There are countless websites and topics removed from Google. It’s impossible to say.

fao_ 10mo ago

I really like yep.com, as per https://www.searchenginemap.com/ https://www.searchenginemap.com/ it's one of only four search engines that run their own web crawlers. Results are slow but incredibly high-quality.

homeless_engi 10mo ago
Yandex is also yellow on that map. It lists five search engines that run their own crawlers -- Google, Bing, Yandex, Mojeek, and Yep
- kayart_dev 10mo ago
  Brave Search has an independept index (https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/28/brave-search-doesnt-use-bings-index-anymore/ https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/28/brave-search-doesnt-use-bi...) and Qwant and Ecosia recently announced that they would be working on an independent European search index too (https://blog.ecosia.org/eusp/ https://blog.ecosia.org/eusp/)

alterom 10mo ago

>There are alternative search engines to Google, ..and of those, I really wouldn't be giving the one under the direct control of Russia's FSB as my top recommendation. A little-known American search engine known as Bing[1] lists Sci-Hub just fine though. [1] https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub https://www.bing.com/search?q=sci-hub

jillesvangurp 10mo ago

You are recommending a search engine that is operating from Russia under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. The Russian state monitors usage and is definitely censoring all sorts of stuff on it. Of course Sci Hub was developed by a Russian, which is probably why Yandex is not censoring it. Also, I don't think the Russian government cares much for intellectual property rights of companies in NATO countries, for obvious reasons. But they are definitely censoring a wide range of other topics. Check this reports for some details on the types of things that Yandex censors: https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/30/disrupted-throttled-and-blocked/state-censorship-control-and-increasing-isolation https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/30/disrupted-throttled-an...

RobotToaster 10mo ago
If I was looking for something that is against the interests of Russian oligarchs I wouldn't use yandex. In the same way it has become obvious that you should not use Google if you are looking for something that is against the interests of American oligarchs.
specproc 10mo ago
Jeez, gimme a break. The US is rounding up people on the streets, the UK throwing terrorism legislation at pensioners, don't get me started on Israel. Russia is an oppressive and dangerous regime, sure, but in 2025, there's nothing particularly special about it on human rights and censorship. In the context of Western censorship of a global resource, Yandex makes a load of sense.
baranul 10mo ago
You don't have to go too far to see such similar censorship in action. It's not just "them over there". Hacker News conducts stealth censorship, shadow banning, and manipulations of all kinds to push artificial narratives, etc... Its about unchecked corruption, abuse, and the misuse of power. It's a mistake to believe such things are only done by "them" in a different country.
- AlexeyBelov 10mo ago