Complete Global Google Search with Privacy
Google search is insanely good at finding stuff… until you realize how much it’s quietly shaping what you see. Location filters, personalization based on your history, and a flood of sketchy ads make it feel less “global” and more like a local echo chamber. That’s where Startpage quietly stands out for me.
It basically gives you Google-level results (they proxy the queries) but without the usual baggage. Here’s what makes it feel like a more complete global search:
- No location bubble: I search and actually get results from all over the world, not just what Google thinks is relevant to Nigeria or Port Harcourt. It’s like flipping off the geo-filter.
- Zero tracking: No history saved, no profile built, no data handed off. Your query gets anonymized before it even touches Google’s servers.
- Cleaner, safer pages — It cuts out a ton of those malicious “click here” ads, fake download buttons, and sponsored junk that Google lets through. Honestly surprised how much calmer the results feel.
- Anonymous View: When you click a link, it routes through their proxy so the destination site doesn’t see your IP or fingerprint you.
- EU privacy backbone: Netherlands-based, GDPR rules. Feels like a sturdier shield than a lot of US privacy promises.
It’s not pixel-for-pixel identical to google.com (the anonymization layer creates tiny differences), but the trade-off is worth it when you want unfiltered, worldwide results without being spied on.
I switch to it whenever I need a broader view or just want to dodge the usual ad swamp. Feels closer to searching the actual whole internet again.
Anyone else using something like this to break out of the local + tracked search trap?
Source: Startpage About Us