Scroogle scraper, gone for good

[bristopen]

“I no longer have any domains online,” Mr. Brandt wrote. “I also took all my domains out of DNS because I want to signal to the criminal element that I have no more servers to trash. This hopefully will ward off further attacks on my previous providers.”

“Scroogle.org is gone forever,” Mr. Brandt wrote. “Even if all my DDoS problems had never started in December, Scroogle was already getting squeezed from Google’s throttling, and was already dying. It might have lasted another six months if I hadn’t lost seven servers from DDoS, but that’s about all.”

Source:
http://www.betabeat.com/2012/02/21/scroo...-for-good/

[IanPotter]

DuckDuckGo.com is worth a look. Go to settings and give it a tweak.

Some seem to prefer ixquick.com (startpage.com), but I found it to be quite crap really.

[bristopen]

I'll try that, thank you!

[thokling]

IanPotter: What do you find preferable about DDG over StartPage?

I've been using StartPage for years now without any issues. Information I want appears. What more is needed?

[Anarchist]

Thokling,

Personally I use DDG over StartPage. I just found that, for me, whenever I would search something, the results were more irrelevant than DDG, and an image search (however private) was almost like looking through an album of miscellaneous photos hoping one fits the description. DDG, to me, just does not deliver what I expect a search engine to bring to me. I just wish they had an image search function. Now if StartPage made an email service (they were talking about it a few years ago) I would jump aboard that in a second.

I cannot answer for someone else, but that is my experience.

[IanPotter]

Same as that ^.

It was probably two years ago I did some tests (when Scroogle went down before) but I found much the same as Anarchist Thokling. Also, certain subjects seemed to turn up lots of very lame "He/she/that's all been debunked long ago" types of thing. (Might also be what Anarchist meant by irrelevant). DDG is cleaner and quicker too.

Ixquick may have changed since I did my tests, but I've been happy with DDG since I moved over from Scroogle.

[psilocybin]

What benefit do you get out of using these?

I know google tracks you, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. If you're into privacy just surfing through any isp, no matter what precautions you take, it's monitored. The shit you see on your screen is coming through them and they can see it too. I worked for Earthlink back in the day when I was right out of highschool... 2000. they had a huge black fucking box in the main server room that was there via the FBI. Earthlink voluntarily put it in for some lump sum, either way, that thing recorded everything, it was just paralleled right into main-frame in the office in Phoenix.

Regardless what actions you take, your end data is still being recorded, so you search through whatever engine and, yes, google doesn't receive your telemetry, but if you think you are doing anything in a remotely private sense you're naive at best.

[Anarchist]

For me it is the morals of supporting a service and an idea. By using these sites, you support them and take away support from the bigger ones (but when they use the bigger ones, the purpose is self defeating). You also support the idea of privacy, and by showing your support, you encourage people to look into it. One company in Sweden was going to be a private ISP, and be the first of their kind in the country.
http://torrentfreak.com/worlds-first-pir...en-100720/
By supporting an idea, who knows if this will hit the USA? I was reading somewhere one USA company was opening up. By law you have to record and send the data to the gov, and they complied. But the law was a bit vague, so the data was sent so encrypted it was impossible to make readable. Apparently you do not have to provide them with the means to understand the data, just provide the data.

Now, I know I am being tracked, but I take what few precautions I can and know how to. For instance, not everything is government. I have a program called Key Scrambler, and it records all key inputs done on the internet as gibberish. Excellent for fighting keyloggers, which can be used to steal bank passwords or other valuable info. It will not stop the CIA from watching...

Perfect example... Sometimes it messes up, and it will type something like this. This is what the rest of my sentence was recorded as.
whawk&;-bsejma6ora\5byYPIe6pd.6\d4 wn56338uz3txahy/5a_wlx.2e3[7ioo=9o'97ysc5p8Goo

...you, but if the CIA is watching you that closely, I doubt that you will worry if they see what you put into Google. Another reason I use sites like this is because DDG is just awesome and cuts out all the sponsored links,, and irrelevant garbage. So it gives me a bit of a search advantage over spam-filled Google. I might consider going all out renting a Russian proxy linked through some satellite bounced over the world, but in the end I talk about this stuff outside the internet, making it useless anyways. I suppose psychology plays into it too, as if you are doing something in your mind.

My take at least. Who knows, it may all be folly. At least if DDG accidentally posts their search engine, it will not be like this...
http://news.cnet.com/AOL-apologizes-for-...02793.html
Look around enough, you can find the files. See what IP searched what, what all that IP searched, what all IPs searched a topic. If you read the testimonial of Steve(?) Brandt, the Scroogle guy, he was saying how airport security pulled him aside after doing an internet search and saw him at a Halloween party dressed as a terrorist. Interesting stuff, not sure if it is true or not, but who knows? In the end, all is said and done, and we can only do what we can do. I have control over which search engine I use, and even if it is pointless, I like ones that at least attempt to respect me and my desires.

[bristopen]

Hello,

That's right. It's impossible to hide oneself from those who made some of the technology available for the masses. It's just about getting better search results and also less spam.

Scroogle scraper was unique and very upsetting, that's why they got rid of it. The owner said that it was a DDoS attack made by independent hackers but I don't believe that version of the story, Brandt was attacked by google because he has become sufficiently disturbing.

We need another search engine, an alternative. There must be some open-source search-engine project somewhere..

Peace.

[IanPotter]

I agree with Anarchist & bristopen. It's not so much about searching in secret, it's being seen to take evasive action on principle. That it might be futile is of no consequence. I'd do the same if I wanted a burger, which I don't, but if I did, I'd travel across town to go to the independent outlet rather than give my custom to some corporate monster.

I like DDG and I'm sticking with it for now, but here's a link for anyone wanting to try some open source options:

http://www.searchtools.com/tools/tools-opensource.html

[bristopen]

Scroogle webpage is back again, but not the scraper.

http://Scroogle.org.

I've been using DDG for quite a while now and it does weird things: It brings me tens of words and phrases that I've typed on google search-engine a long time ago. They are brought to my attention in a rather blunt manner because they have nothing to do with the search subject.

Is DDG a real search engine or is it just an interface for google!? Yes it brings different results for the same search but how does it know what I've typed a couple years ago!?

I'm puzzled!

[Doomsticks]

They cut off one head and... (BOING)

Seriously though, how is it criminal to want privacy when you browse? I for one don't feel like sloughing off demographic data like the days dead skin cells.

Actually, pay me for my demo(graphix), Mofo!

I can't stand when friends and neighbors typically fall back to the "Cyber privacy doesn't concern me, I have nothing to hide!". These fools should have their moglies mangled extra gnarly by the TSA. That was the frustration talking... sorry.

Alright, fine. When you accidently hit the wrong option and select Valtrex or some other unfortunate choice, you are suddenly beset upon by adverts and banners explaining the benefits of this drug and that drug for that affliction you blessedly don't have.

Then your mother visits and wants to Google something you were discussing.

Things like Scroogle Scraper are only necessary because the search services have become bloated with trackers and logs, and demographic shenanigans.

Next stop: FaceBook outta muh face!

All hail Ghostery!

[Anarchist]

Ahh, Ghostery is wonderful! I also like NoScript, as it blocks java, AdBlock Plus to never see those annoying adverts again, as well as a host of other programs. My internet experience, especially with DDG, makes finding information without pop-ups and advertisements distracting me so easy.

As stated my many people, you cannot hide from the tracking. I think you hit the nail on the head, Doomsticks:

Quote:Alright, fine. When you accidently hit the wrong option and select Valtrex or some other unfortunate choice, you are suddenly beset upon by adverts and banners explaining the benefits of this drug and that drug for that affliction you blessedly don't have.

Then your mother visits and wants to Google something you were discussing.

Also do not forget, the TSA and some other groups will look at the advertisements that surround your web browsing to fin out if you are a terrorist. If advertisement companies cannot track you, then this cannot happen. Best part, who really wants to see ads or spam? My favorite was when I used Google, I would look something up, go to click the second link (I never click the first), and BAM! There goes the "Sponsored Ads"... and I just clicked for 20% off Viagra when I was looking up Tiger Woods. I never have that problem with DDG, and I am certain no one else does, either.

[Doomsticks]

(07-11-2012 11:27 PM)Anarchist Wrote:  Ahh, Ghostery is wonderful! I also like NoScript, as it blocks java, AdBlock Plus to never see those annoying adverts again, as well as a host of other programs. My internet experience, especially with DDG, makes finding information without pop-ups and advertisements distracting me so easy.

Those are some of the best and some of my must-have addons. I have recently found flashblock to be great when viewing Youtube. It keeps the videos off until you click them and gives you time to examine the details and other helpful hints.

Quote:Also do not forget, the TSA and some other groups will look at the advertisements that surround your web browsing to fin out if you are a terrorist. If advertisement companies cannot track you, then this cannot happen.

And this is why we end up surfing with pointy browsers and whatnot.
Maybe the TSA will just assume we're just virulant and horny and not terrrorists...