"Ducking" Google

[Dave Hounddriver]

I have become really tired of Google AI Overviews becoming the dominant search engine result.  They tell me what Google believes without a link to any external source and I prefer to judge for myself if the info is accurate.

So I recently switched to Duck Duck Go as my default search engine.  It seems to be a bandwagon that a lot are jumping on.  Has anyone here got any experience with the Duck or any other search engine they would like to share?

[Mike J]

You might want to try or research 'Brave Search'.  I have not tried it so cannot offer any pro or con comments.  When I have used Google search the AI summary always has little links you can click on to go the actual article that AI is referencing.   I do fear the the various AI programs are going to further 'dumb down' many folks.  Another thing I find very worrying that is closely related to your post.   The web tracks your 'preferences' in content, news articles, media, purchases, etc.   It then sends articles and media to your computer which match up with those preferences.  Sounds great until you realize that it reinforces your previous beliefs or bias until you are certain that what you are IN THE RIGHT in your thinking about any polarizing ideas or advice.  My fear is a future of people are being spoon fed beliefs and ridiculing those who do actual research and come to different conclusions.   George Orwell's 1984 novel comes to mind.  Sorry about the sideways off topic rant. 

[BrettGC]

I've also used Brave a fair bit, as well as DuckDuckGo.  They're both very good, and from memory their default search engines don't have AI, but that may have changed since I used them.

In any case, you can change your default search engine in most browsers.  Dogpile and Metacrawler are very good. 

[OnMyWay]

18 minutes ago, Mike J said:

 Sounds great until you realize that it reinforces your previous beliefs or bias until you are certain that what you are IN THE RIGHT in your thinking about any polarizing ideas or advice.  My fear is a future of people are being spoon fed beliefs and ridiculing those who do actual research and come to different conclusions.   George Orwell's 1984 novel comes to mind.  Sorry about the sideways off topic rant. 

And then there is the problem that these platforms have censored speech, including what you you would see in a search result.  Meta and Google have confessed that they obeyed the government and shut down the speech of many with opposing views of the government in control at the time.  However, we can't discuss that here because this forum has censorship too.,  I can't remember the details of Meta, but most recently, the way Google put it, it was not their fault.  They were just following orders.

 

[BrettGC]

1 minute ago, OnMyWay said:

However, we can't discuss that here because this forum has censorship too.

Censorship in private spaces — like forums, social media platforms, or workplaces — is a completely different issue from free speech at the national level. Once you accept the terms and conditions or sign a contract, you’re agreeing to follow that platform’s rules.

And to be fair, Don, saying we can’t talk about the topic you mentioned feels a bit disingenuous. I’ve seen discussions here that were far more potentially divisive, and as long as they don’t devolve into ad hominem attacks or violate the forum’s terms (like bigotry or racism), the moderators usually let the conversation flow. In my experience, it’s only when things get overly divisive and turn into personal attacks that moderation steps in — otherwise, they tend to give people room to talk.  This is my experience of this forum. 

[Old55]

18 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

And then there is the problem that these platforms have censored speech, including what you you would see in a search result.  Meta and Google have confessed that they obeyed the government and shut down the speech of many with opposing views of the government in control at the time.  However, we can't discuss that here because this forum has censorship too.,  I can't remember the details of Meta, but most recently, the way Google put it, it was not their fault.  They were just following orders.

 

Don, what you stated about Meta and Google is not against the forum rules in my opinion. As you know the reason for those guidelines and hard rules is God, Guns and Politics can quickly become a toxic steaming pile because some individuals are unable to converse in a civil manner. 

[BrettGC]

34 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Meta and Google have confessed that they obeyed the government and shut down the speech of many with opposing views of the government in control at the time. 

Alright, with that off my chest — I do agree with you on this point. Many platforms, including the ones you mentioned, had turned into echo chambers for the left and the whole DEI crowd. Just look at what happened to Gina Carano on what was then Twitter, while others — including some of her Mandalorian co-stars — posted what some could see equally questionable content and faced no consequences.

Thankfully, the tide seems to be turning, and more spaces are starting to allow a wider range of opinions again.

Edited October 8 by BrettGC

[Erik]

Yeah I did ducking Google like 10 years ago, only use one gmail account which i will ducking too, like yesterday. Duck to Duck Go, it needs some time to get used to when you did leave Google. It works good enough for me and you can deactivate the AI. It’s all about privacy, Whatsapp is more difficult to get ride off, as Signal is much better! option. 

Have a nice day.

 

[Possum]

I have used Dogpile practically since its inception and in recent years Duck both very good. Google to me is getting worse as it no longer seems like a pure search engine. I can do a search and it is easy to see that their algo concludes it must be related to a previous search so shoves related information towards me which is basically useless for my current search. It's like walking into a library and having mystery books thrown at you because that's the last book you checked out. The AI summaries at the beginning of searches are just a gimmick to get you more and more used to AI. There are clear dangers with AI and its invasion of search by its owners are just a tiny drop in the ocean as to their coming ability to control pretty much everything if AI's not regulated or controlled.

[Tommy T.]

I agree with all the above comments...

However, I just can't shake an image from a joke I heard long ago:

Question: What do you call a blonde who has died her hair brown?

Answer: Artificial Intelligence

And this was before all the latest AI furor everywhere... So I just get this image of thousands of blondes with brown hair... sorry guys, I digressed...

Seriously, however... I do need to change my search engine priorities as has been suggested here. Just like I am working on de-Microsofting my life too. Recently I was working on some Word documents and they are very difficult to save without messing with the stupid "Cloud," storage that I don't trust and refuse to use. As I've said repeatedly on this forum...I admit to being a dinosaur regarding current technology and just wish to plod along, do what I wish and need to do and be left alone otherwise...

I may need to avail myself using the swear words from that hilarious video somebody recently posted...

Edited October 9 by Tommy T.