Kagi's "Small Web" offers a handpicked collection of more than 30,000 non-commercial, human-authored websites, including personal blogs, webcomics, and independent videos.
Between the absolute blase attitude towards privacy, the 100% dedication to AI being the future of search, and the completely misguided use of the company’s limited funds, I honestly can’t see Kagi as something I could ever recommend to people.
That article is 2 years old. In the last two years Kagi hasn’t collapsed on itself, it’s not overrun with AI, the world hasn’t ended. They’ve implemented Privacy Pass, extended their browser support to Linux, introduced SlopStop for reporting AI websites, and generally continued to improve their main product.
Kagi is a business, run by people, who make decisions to the best of their ability based on their understanding of what’s going to best serve their needs/priorities.
Like any other product, the owners are guaranteed to make decisions that are not aligned with a fraction of their prospective customers needs/views. That’s what it’s like trying to serve a broad market like “internet search users”. Some of those users are inevitably going to get fired up enough to write a 20,000 word opinion piece on the subject.
For any service, you have to choose if the value proposition makes sense for you and your needs. For me, the value of most free search services has gone down the drain, and the value of spending monthly for Kagi is better than having to think about/maintain a SearXNG instance. YMMV.
IDK what the situation was like specifically two years ago, but now:
They have a whole section in their privacy policy on GDPR and CCPA etc, as well at clear instructions on how to use their service 100% anonymously leveraging TOR and Privacy Pass (+bitcoin and a burner email if you don’t want people even knowing you have a Kagi account)
This Kagi?
https://d-shoot.net/kagi.html
Use of funds is misguided sure, but all the AI stuff is completely optional and has never ever gotten in my way
Part of your monthly fee goes to purchasing their AI services. That’s not optional.
6 months to a year ago it was all people were recommending, Kagi and searxng. Maybe another paid one I forget the name. Now Kagi is bad?
That article is 2 years old. In the last two years Kagi hasn’t collapsed on itself, it’s not overrun with AI, the world hasn’t ended. They’ve implemented Privacy Pass, extended their browser support to Linux, introduced SlopStop for reporting AI websites, and generally continued to improve their main product.
Kagi is a business, run by people, who make decisions to the best of their ability based on their understanding of what’s going to best serve their needs/priorities.
Like any other product, the owners are guaranteed to make decisions that are not aligned with a fraction of their prospective customers needs/views. That’s what it’s like trying to serve a broad market like “internet search users”. Some of those users are inevitably going to get fired up enough to write a 20,000 word opinion piece on the subject.
For any service, you have to choose if the value proposition makes sense for you and your needs. For me, the value of most free search services has gone down the drain, and the value of spending monthly for Kagi is better than having to think about/maintain a SearXNG instance. YMMV.
And the part where the CEO and the company pretends that data protection / privacy laws don’t apply to them? Can you overlook that?
IDK what the situation was like specifically two years ago, but now:
They have a whole section in their privacy policy on GDPR and CCPA etc, as well at clear instructions on how to use their service 100% anonymously leveraging TOR and Privacy Pass (+bitcoin and a burner email if you don’t want people even knowing you have a Kagi account)
https://kagi.com/privacy
https://kagi.com/privacy/rights
Seems weird to put in a whole Privacy Rights section about the privacy laws that apply to them if they don’t think privacy laws apply to them.
That’s good. Seems like they’ve added it just this year:
Makes sense yeah. I use free search engines but your right, they almost never give the result I’m looking for.