Why does Brave send all searches to Google by default?

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#1

Dear Brave,

Could you please explain the justification for using Google as the default search engine?
If Brave were just another browser that didn’t care about privacy, it would make sense.
But privacy is supposed to be one of Brave’s main selling points. (The word priva* appears twelve times on the landing page.)

This issue has been raised multiple times [1][2] and you have responded [2] by saying the user is free to change the default. My question is how you can possibly justify it being the default to begin with?

I wondered if, like Firefox, Brave is being paid by Google for this?

I would appreciate some clarity on this matter.

Thank you for your efforts. Brave is still my favorite browser :slight_smile:

[1] Why is Google the default Search engine?
[2] Default Search Engine

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#2

I installed Brave about 2 weeks ago and I was asked to choose my preferred search engine during the setup. If I remember correctly it was even set to DDG by default.

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#3

@andai for information only

What would be yours?
Would you choose the best or something that kind of works?

List of Top 12 Best Search Engines in The World (2016)
https://www.inspire.scot/blog/2016/11/11/top-12-best-search-engines-in-the-world238

#4

When I first started using Brave, Spygle was the Default search engine. I’ve read or heard that Brave now has a Private Default search engine! :–)

StartMail.com! Anybody that Always Accepts Tyranny when there is Credible Alternatives, Deserves Enslavement!

#5

@kevers05

That page you are refering to
a) is four year old,
b) doesn’t include popular alternatives like startpage or qwant, …
c) doesn’t explain how their ranked the engines, there is no review of any sort or evaluation on well defined criteria
d) is writen by a digital agency, which business model depends on Google platform (see their services related to AdSense, SEO, Job Postings, …)

Hardly a ctritical and independent review, is it?

It is fair to assume that most Brave users are concerned about privacy on the web and this is why they use Brave rather than Chrome. Google has the best search engines in terms of coverage, speed, depth and query understanding. On the other hand it is one of the worse in terms of user privacy.

Another reason is that it dominates the search market gobally. The more a company dominates, the more advantage it gets over its competitor, the more it concentrates power, stiffles innovation, skews user experiences and the web governance. one of the biggest lessons from the past 20 years is that convenience (using the “bests”, for “free”) comes at a great cost for society as whole.

For more information https://restoreprivacy.com/private-search-engine/ , https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/google-says-it-doesnt-sell-your-data-heres-how-company-shares-monetizes-and

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#6

I installed Brave about 2 weeks ago and I was asked to choose my preferred search engine during the setup. If I remember correctly it was even set to DDG by default.

I’ve just installed the latest version of Brave on Windows and the default search engine is positively Google Search. Defaulting to Google as @andai suggests is not a neutral choice, it does reinforce its dominance, especially since Brave is a privacy-first browser so their choice may appear as a form of tacit approval or endorsement.

It would be great indeed if Brave could avoid defaults and ask users pick a search engine among a wider selection presented in a random order, with perhaps a brief note or hint about they compatibility of ethos between the option and Brave’s own values.