Definition:
Startpage is a privacy-focused search engine that lets people search the web without creating a profile based on their search history. It acts as an intermediary: it receives the query, removes data that could identify the person making it, and requests results from different search providers.
The service launched in 2006 and is operated by Surfboard Holding BV, a company established in the Netherlands. Its proposition combines unprofiled results with contextual ads, selected according to the search rather than an individual profile.
Startpage should not be confused with a browser, a VPN, or a completely independent web index. It protects the query within its service, but the scope changes when an external page is opened. For certain visits, it offers Anonymous View, a feature that also acts as an intermediary while viewing the selected page.
Table of contents
How Startpage works
When a person enters a query, Startpage processes it without sending the provider their IP address or a user identifier. The provider receives the request from Startpage and returns results, which are then displayed on the search engine’s page.
Startpage works with providers such as Google and Microsoft Bing, as well as other sources. It is therefore inaccurate to describe it as a search engine that crawls and ranks the entire web by itself. It does not necessarily reproduce the same page that would appear when directly using another search engine, either: the sources used, general location, language, settings, and time of the query can affect the result.
Results are not personalized using an individual’s search history. This reduces profiling, but it does not guarantee that two people will always receive an identical page or that every result is neutral, accurate, or safe. Quality and ordering also depend on the providers’ systems and on how Startpage processes the request.
The search engine can show sponsored links related to the words entered. These are contextual ads, not ads selected from a personal search profile. Query privacy does not mean an absence of advertising.
Search privacy and data handling
The Startpage privacy policy states that the service does not record searches or the IP address associated with them. It includes an operational exception for automatically blocking addresses linked to abusive use, such as high volumes of automated queries.
Startpage removes metadata and query identifiers before sending a request to its providers. It can compile anonymous, aggregate statistics about service usage, but those metrics should not allow an individual’s history to be reconstructed.
It does not use tracking cookies to create advertising profiles. It may store a preference cookie, for example to remember language or layout, and another cookie for security features such as CAPTCHA. It also allows users to generate a settings URL that preserves choices without a cookie. A private search engine therefore does not necessarily mean a site without any cookies.
Protection also depends on the device, connection, and software used. The Internet provider or local network can know that a connection to Startpage took place, even though the query travels over encrypted HTTPS. The search engine does not remove malicious files, deception, or tracking techniques found on third-party pages either.
Anonymous View and its limits
When an ordinary result is opened, the user leaves Startpage’s privacy environment and connects directly to the destination website. That site can receive connection data and apply its own cookies or measurement technologies.
Anonymous View allows certain results to be viewed through Startpage’s infrastructure. The service retrieves the page using its own IP address and presents it to the user, so it acts as a web proxy for that browsing session.
This feature is not equivalent to a VPN. It does not automatically protect traffic from other applications or all browsing on the device, and some pages may have limited functionality when loaded through the intermediary. Downloading a file, signing in, or following links outside the protected session can also change the scope of the protection.
Before using Startpage, it is useful to distinguish these three situations:
- Query in Startpage: the search engine anonymizes the request before asking its providers for results.
- Direct opening: the user connects to the destination website and becomes subject to its privacy and measurement practices.
- Anonymous View: Startpage acts as an intermediary while the selected page is being viewed, with the limitations described above.
Each situation exposes different information. The tool reduces tracking associated with searches, but it does not provide absolute anonymity or replace the security and privacy measures needed for the rest of a person’s browsing.