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  46. <section id="why-use-a-private-instance">
  47. <h1>Why use a private instance?<a class="headerlink" href="#why-use-a-private-instance" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h1>
  48. <blockquote>
  49. <div><p><em>“Is it worth to run my own instance?”</em></p>
  50. </div></blockquote>
  51. <p>.. is a common question among searx users. Before answering this question,
  52. see what options a searx user has.</p>
  53. <p>Public instances are open to everyone who has access to its URL. Usually, these
  54. are operated by unknown parties (from the users’ point of view). Private
  55. instances can be used by a select group of people. It is for example a searx of
  56. group of friends or a company which can be accessed through VPN. Also it can be
  57. single user one which runs on the user’s laptop.</p>
  58. <p>To gain more insight on how these instances work let’s dive into how searx
  59. protects its users.</p>
  60. <section id="how-does-searx-protect-privacy">
  61. <h2>How does searx protect privacy?<a class="headerlink" href="#how-does-searx-protect-privacy" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
  62. <p>Searx protects the privacy of its users in multiple ways regardless of the type
  63. of the instance (private, public). Removal of private data from search requests
  64. comes in three forms:</p>
  65. <blockquote>
  66. <div><ol class="arabic simple">
  67. <li><p>removal of private data from requests going to search services</p></li>
  68. <li><p>not forwarding anything from a third party services through search services
  69. (e.g. advertisement)</p></li>
  70. <li><p>removal of private data from requests going to the result pages</p></li>
  71. </ol>
  72. </div></blockquote>
  73. <p>Removing private data means not sending cookies to external search engines and
  74. generating a random browser profile for every request. Thus, it does not matter
  75. if a public or private instance handles the request, because it is anonymized in
  76. both cases. IP addresses will be the IP of the instance. But searx can be
  77. configured to use proxy or Tor. <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/asciimoo/morty">Result proxy</a> is supported, too.</p>
  78. <p>Searx does not serve ads or tracking content unlike most search services. So
  79. private data is not forwarded to third parties who might monetize it. Besides
  80. protecting users from search services, both referring page and search query are
  81. hidden from visited result pages.</p>
  82. <section id="what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances">
  83. <h3>What are the consequences of using public instances?<a class="headerlink" href="#what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h3>
  84. <p>If someone uses a public instance, they have to trust the administrator of that
  85. instance. This means that the user of the public instance does not know whether
  86. their requests are logged, aggregated and sent or sold to a third party.</p>
  87. <p>Also, public instances without proper protection are more vulnerable to abusing
  88. the search service, In this case the external service in exchange returns
  89. CAPTCHAs or bans the IP of the instance. Thus, search requests return less
  90. results.</p>
  91. </section>
  92. <section id="i-see-what-about-private-instances">
  93. <h3>I see. What about private instances?<a class="headerlink" href="#i-see-what-about-private-instances" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h3>
  94. <p>If users run their <a class="reference internal" href="../admin/installation.html#installation"><span class="std std-ref">own instances</span></a>, everything is in their
  95. control: the source code, logging settings and private data. Unknown instance
  96. administrators do not have to be trusted.</p>
  97. <p>Furthermore, as the default settings of their instance is editable, there is no
  98. need to use cookies to tailor searx to their needs. So preferences will not be
  99. reset to defaults when clearing browser cookies. As settings are stored on
  100. their computer, it will not be accessible to others as long as their computer is
  101. not compromised.</p>
  102. </section>
  103. </section>
  104. <section id="conclusion">
  105. <h2>Conclusion<a class="headerlink" href="#conclusion" title="Permalink to this heading">¶</a></h2>
  106. <p>Always use an instance which is operated by people you trust. The privacy
  107. features of searx are available to users no matter what kind of instance they
  108. use.</p>
  109. <p>If someone is on the go or just wants to try searx for the first time public
  110. instances are the best choices. Additionally, public instance are making a
  111. world a better place, because those who cannot or do not want to run an
  112. instance, have access to a privacy respecting search service.</p>
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