Techlore Talks Startpage CEO Interview: Robert Beens
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Feb 8, 2020 In this engaging discussion, Robert Beens, CEO of Startpage, delves into the journey of transforming Startpage into a privacy-focused search engine. He shares insights on using Google results to enhance relevancy while maintaining privacy, and the challenges of navigating a changing ownership landscape. Robert details their unique features like the Anonymous View, which protects user identity and aids in bypassing censorship. He also discusses exciting future plans, including unbiased news and private maps, all while reinforcing their firm commitment to user privacy.
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Company Pivot After Privacy Audit
- Robert Beens recounts Startpage's origin as Xquik and its pivot after a 2005 legal audit revealed extensive user logging.
- They wiped stored data and relaunched in 2006 as a privacy-first search engine called StartPage.
Switch Your Search Engine First
- Change your search engine to a privacy-focused alternative as an easy, high-impact privacy step.
- Robert Beens recommends this as a practical first action people can take to protect themselves online.
Google Results With Anonymous Proxy
- Startpage's unique offering is privacy-protected Google results plus an 'Anonymous View' proxy to prevent third-party tracking.
- Anonymous View loads target sites through Startpage servers so third parties can't see the user's IP or browser details.