Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve used google without a layer of privacy in between and haven’t realized how comfortable it would be with all its spying power enabled. But anyways, I find it scary that companies like google try to get so much information about you that they then sell to third parties. I’d rather have less comfortability if it means I have control over my own data. And I guess Kagi could be better in this regard if they value your privacy while still having some data on you.
millie@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Okay, but it doesn’t know where I am. When I type ‘dunkin’, Google doesn’t just know I want hours for a dunkin donuts, it knows which two or three stores I’m probably looking at hours for and it does it without me having to specify.
If I’m looking stuff up on my phone or just want a quick answer, I actually do want the context of all that data on me. I like that when I type the word ‘glamour’ it knows I’m probably thinking of the bard subclass, and that when I type ‘Conan’ it knows I probably mean Exiles, not O’Brien. I mean like, I know it doesn’t know these things, but it fills in that gap much faster.
I do like the way their search is layed out for doing something more complex, though. It really is a better designed search engine, but I feel like a search engine is the one place I want data collection of some kind, literally because it benefits me.
flora_explora@beehaw.org 7 months ago
millie@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Honestly, if I could get Kagi to slurp up all my Google data I’d probably switch. I don’t like having it sold to third parties, but it saves a ton of time when used for the actual reason they ought to have it in the first place.
flora_explora@beehaw.org 7 months ago
Yeah, I get that. While “no ethical consumption under capitalism” shouldn’t be used to justify passivity, each individual person has their own limits to what they can reasonably achieve. Sometimes when I’m traveling and my anxiety peaks, I also eat dairy products/eggs because I cannot mentally afford to search for vegan alternatives. It’s so hard to always keep the balance between doing what you can and trying to stay sane.
I’ve been using startpage for years and don’t really miss the missing location features. But I hardly leave the house anyways.
mozz@mbin.grits.dev 7 months ago
- On Kagi you type ‘Dunkin’ and then click ‘maps’
- I want to see a screenshot of your ‘glamour’ and ‘Conan’ searches working the way you’re describing
mozz@mbin.grits.dev 7 months ago
millie@beehaw.org 7 months ago