[tor-bugs] #13714 [Tor Browser]: Replace startpage.com with duckduckgo (startpage is hostile tor Tor users)

Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki blackhole at torproject.org
Fri Nov 28 03:17:56 UTC 2014


#13714: Replace startpage.com with duckduckgo (startpage is hostile tor Tor users)
-------------------------------+--------------------------------
     Reporter:  duS3u_uus9usu  |      Owner:  tbb-team
         Type:  defect         |     Status:  new
     Priority:  normal         |  Milestone:
    Component:  Tor Browser    |    Version:  Tor: 0.2.6.1-alpha
   Resolution:                 |   Keywords:
Actual Points:                 |  Parent ID:
       Points:                 |
-------------------------------+--------------------------------

Comment (by cypherpunks-duplicate):

 Indeed, recently startpage has given more and more captchas. I wonder if
 that is because of a raise in the number of users (or users who use
 startpage at the same time in TBB), or if it is merely startpage fault.
 Anyway, I noticed they used to simply give a page saying "we love tor
 but..." while now we have a captcha. Which doesn't even work very well,
 because after you put in the correct captcha you have to write your search
 again (they just redirect you to the home page).
 duckduckgo is a viable alternative, even more because they support a
 hidden service which is better in some ways... You can be sure you are
 taking to the correct destination and there is unlike that https hijack
 will result in your searches being read by a malicious exit relay. All in
 all, maybe that hidden service should be the default page?

 On the other hand, I don't know if duckduckgo has a link for "non filtered
 results". Startpage created one specially for TBB.

 All in all, I don't know if there will ever be a "100% friendly tor search
 engine", we should wonder if duckduckgo won't do the same after they start
 to receive so much traffic from us (or if they won't start selling ads for
 companies who want to target anonymous users into buying their stuff). But
 we really need to talk to startpage and say that we are not gonna take
 this crap from our default search engine. Maybe a change to duckduckgo
 would actually be a good idea.

--
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/13714#comment:3>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online


More information about the tor-bugs mailing list