Feature #722: Remove Startpage from Privacy Browser - Privacy Browser Android - Stoutner - Redmine

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Feature #722

closed

Remove Startpage from Privacy Browser

Added by Tommy Towards over 3 years ago. Updated almost 3 years ago.

Status:

Closed

Priority:

Next Release

Assignee:

Soren Stoutner

Start date:

05/30/2021

Due date:

% Done:

Estimated time:

Description

Recently Startpage is requiring JavaScript to show results
https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/1351/0/why-are-we-requiring-users-to-enable-javascript
Not only should this search engine be changed off the default one, but should also be removed from the list, as it doesn't seem to offer a no JavaScript version

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Updated by Soren Stoutner over 3 years ago

Priority changed from 3.x to Next Release

Requiring JavaScript disqualifies Startpage from being both the default search engine and from being included in the list of search engines at all. See https://www.stoutner.com/requirements-for-a-search-engine-to-be-included/.

This is the first I have heard of this. Startpage does not yet require JavaScript in my region (the announcement says they will be rolling it out slowly by region). However, since that is their intention, I will be removing Startpage from Privacy Browser. Candidates to replace Startpage as the default search engine include the following.

Monocles - https://redmine.stoutner.com/issues/714

MetaGer - https://redmine.stoutner.com/issues/679

Mojeek - https://redmine.stoutner.com/issues/577

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Updated by Soren Stoutner over 3 years ago

Subject changed from Switch Startpage to another search engine to Remove Startpage from Privacy Browser

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Updated by Tommy Towards over 3 years ago

If I may, wouldn't it be better to present the user with the list of search engines on first setup for them to choose, instead of relying on a default one? Maybe the list could have some cons and pros, for example:

MetaGer:
+ Fully fledged metasearch engine.
+ Doesn't need JavaScript or cookies to work
- Has partnership results with tracking links

Maybe some links to their webpages, privacy policy, etc, to educate users?

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Updated by Soren Stoutner over 3 years ago

I personally find any popup that presents itself when I open an app for the first time to be so excessively annoying that there is almost no chance I will ever do that to my users with Privacy Browser. The users can easily change the default search engine in the settings if they want to.

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