Brave Software, the maker of the privacy-focused Brave web browser, is stepping up its game by developing its own search engine. The new search engine, called Brave Search, is part of the company’s strategy to reduce its reliance on major tech companies such as Google and Bing.
Unlike other search engines, Brave Search will serve image and video results from its own index, which is created by crawler bots that visit web pages, images, videos, and other files. This independent index allows Brave Search to address the growing sentiment that Google Search is worsening, particularly due to AI-generated web spam.
One of Brave’s main goals is to highlight its commitment to privacy and independence. Brave Search has been designed to be 100% private and anonymous, ensuring that users can discover content without their search engine reporting or profiling the results. This is a significant factor considering the recent wave of discontent with big tech companies and their handling of user data.
Brave currently boasts approximately 57.76 million monthly active users for its web browser. In comparison, Mozilla Firefox has around 187 million monthly active users. The browser company launched Brave Search in 2021, initially offering text-based search results from an independent index. With the addition of image and video search capabilities, Brave is further distinguishing itself from its competitors who heavily rely on Google and Bing.
Brave emphasizes that having its own index provides it with the freedom to make content decisions without relying on others. They point to an incident in which Bing briefly stopped serving search results for the inquiry about the iconic Tiananmen Square “tank man” as an example. By maintaining an independent search engine, Brave aims to ensure that users can access a wide range of content without censorship or manipulation.
However, the company remains open to user feedback and acknowledges that if their own search index proves disappointing, they will make it easy for users to search using other search engines. This commitment underlines Brave’s determination to provide a user-centric browsing experience while also meeting the evolving needs and expectations of its user base.
In conclusion, Brave Software’s introduction of Brave Search showcases the company’s drive to offer a well-rounded and independent browsing experience. By utilizing its own search index and emphasizing privacy, Brave aims to attract users who are dissatisfied with the practices of larger tech companies while providing them with reliable and unrestricted access to a vast array of online content.
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