Brave has built a reputation as a browser that prioritizes privacy, and the company is now taking over Google’s domain on the web with a new search engine project called Brave Search.
Brave on Wednesday announced plans to launch a new search engine that will keep user information private and out of the prying eyes of big technology. The new search engine will use technology developed by Tailcat, which Brave has just acquired.
“The Tailcat search engine is built on a completely independent index, capable of offering the quality that people expect, but without compromising their privacy,” said Brave in a blog post. “Tailcat does not collect IP addresses or use personally identifiable information to improve search results.”
Brave said its browser grew in popularity last year, from 11 million monthly active users to more than 25 million – and expects to see even more growth in 2021. The expansion to search, an area long dominated by Google, has been a necessary step in the evolution of Brave, the company said.
Brave Search promises not to track or profile users and will always serve the user first. He will rely on anonymous contributions from the community to improve and refine the experience and will not use “secret methods or algorithms to influence the results”. Brave said it plans to provide paid search options without ads and search with ad support.
“The only way to contain Big Tech with its bad habit of collecting personal data is to develop a robust, independent and privacy-preserving search engine that offers the quality that users expect,” said Dr. Josep M. Pujol , head of the Tailcat project.
The news came after Brave was at the center of a controversy that saw the browser adding affiliate links to cryptocurrency URLs, which the company addressed. If you are interested in trying Brave Search, you can join the waiting list.