Users who visited the privacy supporting search engine metager.org were in for a rude surprise today. For some, this is a huge new blow against privacy in our devolving surveillance capitalist dystopia.
MetaGer.org, a privacy-focused search engine operated by the non-profit association SUMA-EV, will no longer exist in its current form, according to the site because Yahoo unilaterally terminated its contract with the organization without notice on Monday, 9/9/2024. MetaGer will be unable to deliver search results through its ad-financed service, as the deal with Yahoo was central to obtaining these results.
This sudden move had dramatic consequences for MetaGer, as it can no longer employ staff or continue operations in its current capacity. The termination of the contract means that SUMA-EV will no longer receive advertising revenue which was used to fund the search engine’s infrastructure and development.
From out perspective, sure you can pay for Metager, but a payment makes you even more traceable in many ways. It’s a terrible situation for the basic human right to privacy.
Alternatives?
What search engine could take it’s place? If you look into them carefully, none of the available options is really acceptable at this time. Because it is legal to own a search engine a monopoly in the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and given that searching the web is a daily highly personal experience that exposes medical, banking, religious, political and other personal information, privacy is not available at this time. Human rights suffer as a result.
This is a sad day.
