The choice is yours – why freedom of choice is important
Freedom of choice is one of the most important basic rights in democratic societies. We should be entitled to this freedom in all areas, not just in politics or education, but also in the digital world.
Freedom of choice and the ability to make decisions of one’s own free will are among the fundamental values of democratic societies. This month, freedom of choice is in the foreground. We are currently particularly noticing how important our right to self-determination and freedom of choice is: In the debate about COVID-19 vaccinations, when choosing a career and when it comes to education, we want to determine for ourselves which options we choose.
In Germany, the country with the highest amount of Startpage searches, the freedom of choice is even protected by law. Article 2 in the German Basic Law guarantees the freedom of every person to develop freely and to shape their own life.
Our right to informational self-determination
Many people are not aware that this type of self-determination also applies to our right to online privacy. For instance, Article 8 of the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights secures the right to informational self-determination about one’s own personal data.
As it is, the internet is dominated by large tech companies that have gained ever greater market power over the years. In order to be able to use their online services, one can hardly avoid the Big Tech giants from Silicon Valley. Big Tech recognized early on how to profit from people’s personal data. In order to be able to use Big Tech products, users are forced to accept their terms of use. The price for their free service: a person’s personal data. A lot of money can be made with our data because it reveals a lot about us. They are sold on to third-party companies, who can then target us with advertising that matches our profile. Learn more about the behavioral advertising business model here.
The Startpage Difference
Unfortunately, most online services do not adequately protect people’s right to privacy. That is why we decided in 2006 that it was time for a real alternative and founded Startpage. We believe everyone should be able to use and search the Internet without worrying about their personal data – how it is being collected, stored, and sold. That is why Startpage was created as the first private search engine that does not collect, save and pass on user’s personal data.
How does this work? We deliver qualitative search results that are provided by Google, but without collecting personal data or saving search histories. In addition, our headquarters and servers are located in the Netherlands. This enables us to protect our users with Dutch and European data protection laws, including the GDPR which is considered the world’s strongest privacy law.
You should not only be able to search, you should also be able to find: Our Anonymous View function also protects you when you visit websites that are displayed in the search results. Here’s how the Anonymous View works.
The decision is yours
Our pursuit – and the core idea for our foundation – is to be able to offer a choice. Everyone should be able to decide for themselves what to do with their own data. With Startpage, we offer an alternative to other search engines where you have control over your data. Freedom of choice is essential when using online services and deciding what to do with one’s own data.
We don’t want to tell you what to do, but rather to give you the opportunity to choose for yourself. However, information and knowledge are required to make an informed decision. That is why we have made it our business to inform you about data protection and privacy on our blog, newsletter and social media channels. But the decision as to which online services you use is entirely up to you!
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