Better Internet Search, based in Scotland, and Partisia Blockchain, based in Denmark, have received a grant from the EU-funded Next Generation Internet Trust (NGI Trust), to develop a new alternative search engine.
According to a release, the NGI Trust seeks to support the “development of a human-centric internet” and provides assistance for projects via the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Currently, Google is the dominant search platform but alternatives are emerging. By aiding an alternative to Google, a platform that tracks user data to deliver ads, the companies look to offer a better and more private experience. Recently, Crowdfund Insider reported on “Presearch” a new search engine that is on a mission to be privacy-centric while incorporating a token system as an internal currency while using the digital asset to incentivizing people to migrate to their search engine (and away from Google).
Better Internet Search and Partisia Blockchain are working together to develop an alternative that is privacy-preserving as well as ad-free. The approach is to prioritize the results that searchers actually want instead of a half page or more of ads. The project will use a token-based internal currency system.
Better Internet Search was launched in 2020 by Dr. Gordon Povey, who commented:
“Ads not only get in the way of the results users want, but they also bear click-bait, fake-news, scams, and other malware. With an ad-based model, users are not really the customer, they are actually the product that is sold to advertisers. At Better Internet Search, we have developed a new user-centric model that puts the customer front and centre, eliminating advertising and ensuring built-in user privacy at the core of everything we do.”
Kurt Nielsen, co-founder and President of Partisia Blockchain stated:
“For decades now the internet has operated in the same way, while, in the meantime, the world it serves has changed dramatically. Privacy is now non-negotiable and demanded from users, enterprises, and governments alike. Our collaboration with Better Internet Search will ensure that privacy is built-in at the new search engine’s core, meaning users no longer need to worry about the risks and fears of sharing their personal data when using the internet.”
Dr. Monique Calisti, CEO of Martel Innovate and Director of the NGI Outreach Office, says that Europe aims at ensuring a trusted human-centric internet that respects the fundamental values of privacy, participation and diversity.
“NGI Trust supported for instance the Better Internet Search leading to the launch of a unique privacy-preserving ad-free search engine. Now, we welcome the collaboration with the Partisia Blockchain Foundation as another great opportunity,” said Calista. “Partisia is in fact at work to design a more secure, decentralized search engine. Another step ahead and many more are expected to come!”
