🆕 Software Suggestion | TogaSearch (Beta) #2227

New Issue

2021-03-07T18:12:29Z

CMEONE commented

2021-03-07 18:12:29 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Basic Information

Name: TogaSearch (Beta)
Category: Search Engines
URL: https://search.togatech.org/

Description

TogaSearch is a privacy search engine which uses the results of major search engines. TogaTech servers act as a secure proxy, scraping results from Google, removing all of the tracking, and delivering the results back to the user's browser.

Why I am making the suggestion

TogaSearch is a great privacy alternative for users who want to move away from search engines like Google while still retaining the speed and accuracy of leading search algorithms.

My connection with the software

I am the Founder, CEO, and Developer of TogaTech (https://togatech.org/), a company dedicated to creating user-friendly, privacy software for the masses. TogaSearch is one of the sites we created to help achieve this goal.

I will keep the issue up-to-date if something I have said changes or I remember a connection with the software.

## Basic Information **Name:** TogaSearch (Beta) **Category:** Search Engines **URL:** https://search.togatech.org/ ## Description TogaSearch is a privacy search engine which uses the results of major search engines. TogaTech servers act as a secure proxy, scraping results from Google, removing all of the tracking, and delivering the results back to the user's browser. ## Why I am making the suggestion TogaSearch is a great privacy alternative for users who want to move away from search engines like Google while still retaining the speed and accuracy of leading search algorithms. ## My connection with the software I am the Founder, CEO, and Developer of TogaTech (https://togatech.org/), a company dedicated to creating user-friendly, privacy software for the masses. TogaSearch is one of the sites we created to help achieve this goal. - [x] I will keep the issue up-to-date if something I have said changes or I remember a connection with the software.

👍 3

gary-host-laptop commented

2021-03-12 22:18:00 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Do you plan on releasing the source code at some point?

LorisTecnology commented

2021-03-13 10:24:42 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

if isn't open source sorry but is the opposite of privacy respecting

rusty-snake commented

2021-03-13 12:43:55 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Well, even if the source-code is available somewhere (e.g. on GitHub) you still need to trust the admin that the server actually runs this source-code and not a patched one (Example: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Server/commit/3432529f9c018d75774ce89f3207b18051c26fe7#commitcomment-46371609). If you have no way to verify this, open-source or closed-source has no difference (except that you could run your own server if it's properly documented).

CMEONE commented

2021-03-13 16:24:28 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

@LongJohn-Silver @LorisTecnology @rusty-snake Hello, thanks for expressing your concerns. Our source code is currently closed-source, we may make it open-source in the future, but there's no way to verify that we are actually running that code (so I'm not sure that it would make a huge difference).

As for how you can verify the lack of tracking, if you click search, you can inspect the client-side code (to be sure there are no tracking scripts) and check document.cookie (which should be blank, indicating no cookies). This setup is 1000x better than Google, which has a bunch of cookies under document.cookie as well as the signed in icon at the top right of the search bar (letting you know that they are tying this search back to your account)

@LongJohn-Silver @LorisTecnology @rusty-snake Hello, thanks for expressing your concerns. Our source code is currently closed-source, we may make it open-source in the future, but there's no way to verify that we are actually running that code (so I'm not sure that it would make a huge difference). As for how you can verify the lack of tracking, if you click search, you can inspect the client-side code (to be sure there are no tracking scripts) and check `document.cookie` (which should be blank, indicating no cookies). This setup is 1000x better than Google, which has a bunch of cookies under `document.cookie` as well as the signed in icon at the top right of the search bar (letting you know that they are tying this search back to your account)

👍 1

LorisTecnology commented

2021-03-13 16:44:48 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

thanks for the answer
now it's more clear

thanks for the answer now it's more clear

gary-host-laptop commented

2021-03-15 17:33:48 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

@LongJohn-Silver @LorisTecnology @rusty-snake Hello, thanks for expressing your concerns. Our source code is currently closed-source, we may make it open-source in the future, but there's no way to verify that we are actually running that code (so I'm not sure that it would make a huge difference).

As for how you can verify the lack of tracking, if you click search, you can inspect the client-side code (to be sure there are no tracking scripts) and check document.cookie (which should be blank, indicating no cookies). This setup is 1000x better than Google, which has a bunch of cookies under document.cookie as well as the signed in icon at the top right of the search bar (letting you know that they are tying this search back to your account)

Well, for once, people would be able to run multiple instances of the search engine to avoid censorship by governments or to simply provide different experiences, it also gives your project a spirit of openness and transparency, and you would be contributing to the libre software movement as a whole. I just feel there are a ton of close source search engines already there, and it doesn't really make a difference to me to recommend this over DDG for example given that the latter is a much more mature product. I would use a service that has less features if it stands for things I believe, in this case, privacy and libre culture, but if I have to choose between two ideally equal things I would go with the one with most features.
Also, Infinity Search is working on a decentralized search engine that is libre, which may not be mature enough, sure, but in my opinion would be a better ideal than this.

Still, though, this is the opinion of a simple Privacy Tools follower, these words don't have any real decission on whether or not it will be listed, I just hope to make you change your mind because I think it's in the best interest for you, your project and the privacy community.

Cheers!

> @LongJohn-Silver @LorisTecnology @rusty-snake Hello, thanks for expressing your concerns. Our source code is currently closed-source, we may make it open-source in the future, but there's no way to verify that we are actually running that code (so I'm not sure that it would make a huge difference). > > As for how you can verify the lack of tracking, if you click search, you can inspect the client-side code (to be sure there are no tracking scripts) and check `document.cookie` (which should be blank, indicating no cookies). This setup is 1000x better than Google, which has a bunch of cookies under `document.cookie` as well as the signed in icon at the top right of the search bar (letting you know that they are tying this search back to your account) Well, for once, people would be able to run multiple instances of the search engine to avoid censorship by governments or to simply provide different experiences, it also gives your project a spirit of openness and transparency, and you would be contributing to the libre software movement as a whole. I just feel there are a ton of close source search engines already there, and it doesn't really make a difference to me to recommend this over DDG for example given that the latter is a much more mature product. I would use a service that has less features if it stands for things I believe, in this case, privacy and libre culture, but if I have to choose between two ideally equal things I would go with the one with most features. Also, Infinity Search is working on a decentralized search engine that is libre, which may not be mature enough, sure, but in my opinion would be a better ideal than this. Still, though, this is the opinion of a simple Privacy Tools follower, these words don't have any real decission on whether or not it will be listed, I just hope to make you change your mind because I think it's in the best interest for you, your project and the privacy community. Cheers!

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Reference: privacyguides/privacytools.io#2227