2y ago

Ecosia adds Microsoft Clarity and optional Google search results and advertising

www.ecosia.org

We protect your privacy

Ecosia adds "contractually forced" Microsoft Clarity tracking (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/setup-and-installation/about-clarity | privacy faq : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/clarity/faq#privacy), which will record the behaviour of users on the website. Recording clics, size, and more.

They will also add an optional Google setting. Enabling the cookie will allow to get search results from Google, but also to get tracked by Google.

Optional Microsoft advertising tracking is still a thing, tho it may not be necessary if Bing can get a fingerprint and behaviour of the user in real time...

This may be the final flow for Ecosia for me. Unless somehow the Microsoft Clarity can be private... But I don't think so.

Privacy @lemmy.ml

macallik @kbin.social

2y ago

Ecosia.org updates its Privacy Policy

www.ecosia.org /privacy

40 comments

- aren't they using bing also? (I never checked, and still not going to check right now... because I'm .......)
  I'm using duckduckgo but how would they avoid this if Microsoft make it mandatory by contract?
  
  https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/05/duckduckgo-microsoft-tracking-scripts/
  They block the tracking.
  
  According to them DuckDuckGo largely sources Bing, however they also have their own crawler called DuckDuckBot.
- My only concern with DDG is that they are US based and as far as I know they can be submitted to a gag order and forced to silently give private data to some agencies.
  After the Snowden leaks this doesn't inspire much confidence in their ability to protect the privacy of their users.
  I think they simply can't guarantee any privacy even if they have good intentions.
  
  Can you even create an account on ddg? What data do they have on you?
  Not being argumentative, I'm genuinely curious.
I use Ecosia for the environmental aspect, not the privacy, so I'm gonna stay with it.
- Same, plus clearing all cookies when closing the browser. Still, combining search tterms and IP is giving me pause.
  
  Ecosia doesn't apply tracking cookies. And fingerprinting does not need cookies. It just needs to know what you are.
  Device size, information, browser... And other shared info.
RIP
- It’s fine, it’s bing with a portion of profit going to charity (tree planting)
  The option to use google search instead while still having part of the profit going to charity also isn’t a bad thing
  If you’re using either then this is the more ethical option
Kagi advertisers are out in force today.
Is there a reason people aren’t suggesting startpage as an alternative to ecosia or DuckDuckGo?
- What I remember : Startpage has been bought by an advertising company. So who knows what they could do with it.
  
  Yup, i've sent this link before:
  https://restoreprivacy.com/startpage-system1-privacy-one-group/
  For me that was reason enough to not use them anymore, but for a long time, i almost exclusively used it.
  
  Mm I do think I remember the controversy around that. Such a bummer because their anonymous webpage viewing is such a cool feature
I just made the switch from duck duck go, because I read there was some sketchy shit going on as well... Can someone recommend me an alternative for both of them?
- I believe the DDG "concerns" were overblown.
  https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/05/duckduckgo-microsoft-tracking-scripts/
  https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/no-tracking/
- Out of the loop, what's the sketchy shit going on with 🦆🦆 go?
- I'm trying out Kagi atm, but it's not free. The alternative is basically "pick your poison". I think any "free" service will inevitably end up in the same sketchy shit all companies large enough are drawn into.
  Still not sure where I land at the end of the trial; the cost is really pushing the limit of what I could justify paying for online search.
  
  I just started the trial the other day and set it as my default browser. So far, I feel like the results are better than DDG and it feels cleaner/better organized. It has cool customizations that I'll probably never touch.
  It's honestly gonna hurt to go back. But not as much as the pricetag. Maybe it should be lumped into a suite of some sort.
- Kagi.com?
SearXNG has the answer(s)
- Same, searxng is great.
- I'd rather never use a search engine again than pay $10 a month for one
  
  How would you even function on the internet without one?
all the more reason to keep using ublock origin.
- Not sure using Ecosia has any benefit if using ublock to block everything.
Oh man I just made the switch!

40 comments