Are There Google Wolves in Stealth Privacy Clothing?
June 8, 2022
A growing number of search engines are cropping up that purport to protect one’s privacy. Lukol is one of these. A brief entry at The New Leaf Journal questions that site’s privacy promises in, “Lukol Search Engine Shows Up in Logs.” New Leaf editor Nicholas A Ferrell noticed a paradox: though Lukol bills itself as an “anonymous search engine,” it is also “powered by Google Search.” Further investigation revealed this paragraph in the site’s privacy policy:
“We use cookies to personalise content and ads, and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information you’ve provided to them or they’ve collected from your use of their services. If you wish to opt out of Google cookies you may do so by visiting the Google privacy policy page.”
It seems the word “privacy” does not mean what Lukol thinks it means. Farrell comments:
“So this anonymous search engine stores cookies on your computer to serve you with personalized ‘content and ads’ and it shares information about your use of the site with ‘advertising and analytics partners.’ It then directs you to Google’s privacy policy page for information about how to opt out of Google cookies. While I struggle to see how Lukol is privacy-friendly (much less anonymous), it is a great example for why it is important to look behind catchy promises about privacy and anonymity.”
Agreed. Lukol is basically Google Search with some added manipulations. None of which appear to protect user privacy. Let the searcher beware.
Cynthia Murrell, June 8, 2022
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
