Ecosia and Qwant, Google’s European competitors, have partnered to create a search engine. Thus, an attempt is made to reduce dependence on large US technology companies. European companies say their new system will have privacy as its main asset.
Ecosia and Qwant have agreed on a partnership, called European Search Perspective, which they plan to launch in France in the first quarter of 2025, according to CNBC. Companies are trying to reduce Europeans’ dependence on US BigTech firms.
The search index to be built by the Europeans will be used by the two companies, but the technology will also be made available to other independent search engines and technology firms. Among other things, the initiators of the system aim to achieve “improved” search results in French and German. Ecosia is based in Berlin, while Qwant is based in Paris.
Google has over 90% of the global market
Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine that promises not to track users or use their personal data. The Ecosia search engine also has an ecological component as its owners have pledged to plant a tree for every 50 searches on its platform.
Currently, even though they have search engines, Ecosia and Qwant must rely on technology provided by companies such as Microsoft to operate. Access to the web is currently controlled by Google, which has over 90% of the global market share.
Source: www.descopera.ro
