Notes and guides on private search, the open web, and how the tools we use every day actually work.
A full data export reveals years of searches, locations, and inferred traits. What was in the file, and how to stop adding to it.
june 17, 2026 · 7 min read
A slightly morbid thought experiment about the most honest record of your life, who can see it, and why some people keep none.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
The search bar gets a version of you no one else does. A relatable, slightly uncomfortable list, and why it shouldn't be filed forever.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
The questions you type when you can't sleep are the most honest you'll ever ask. A short reflection on who's awake to read them.
june 17, 2026 · 4 min read
We curate everything we say in public. The last place people tell the plain truth is a blinking search field, and that truth is being recorded.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Voice assistants turn spoken questions into stored recordings tied to you. Why typing is quietly more private, and how to keep even that to yourself.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
One writes you a paragraph, the other hands you links, and both track you. When to use each, where they fail, and the quieter third option.
june 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Should you ask an AI or search the web? What chatbots do well, what engines do better, and the link-only option that keeps nothing on you.
june 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Perplexity cites its sources but still summarizes, Google buries links under an AI box, and Bare just gives you the page.
june 17, 2026 · 6 min read
Gemini answers in AI prose, Google Search finds pages, and both live inside Google's profile of you. When to use each, plus a way outside the ecosystem.
june 17, 2026 · 6 min read
The Web filter, the udm=14 trick, extensions, and the permanent fix for getting AI Overviews off your Google results for good.
june 17, 2026 · 6 min read
How to force Google into plain web-only results, why the trick is fragile, and the engine that's web-only by default.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Why links still beat AI paragraphs for most searches, when a chatbot is actually fine, and where to get plain pages again.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Most 'private' engines now ship AI answers on by default and let you toggle them off. Here's what a genuinely no-AI search engine looks like.
june 17, 2026 · 6 min read
DuckDuckGo includes AI answers by default. How to turn them off, what the setting covers, and the alternative if you'd rather not toggle anything.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
An honest tour of DuckDuckGo, Brave, Startpage and Bare, with a simple way to pick the one that fits how you search.
june 17, 2026 · 7 min read
Why searching feels harder lately, from SEO spam and ad load to AI summaries, and what you can actually do about it.
june 17, 2026 · 6 min read
A one-minute, step-by-step guide for Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, on desktop and mobile.
june 17, 2026 · 5 min read
The warning signs your search engine is working against you, and the one quick test that tells you if a privacy claim is real.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
Your search history is the most honest diary you keep. Here is what it reveals, and how to take that knowledge back.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
What actually changes when you quit Google search, what you gain, what you give up, and how to make the switch stick.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
A straight comparison of Bare and Google, where Google still wins, where Bare wins by design, and which to actually use.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
A 2026 comparison on privacy, index independence, and results quality, plus where a barer option fits.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
What index each one uses, how private they really are, and which fits your search habits.
june 16, 2026 · 6 min read
A straight answer on whether search engines sell your data, how search ads really work, and how to stay out of the profile.
june 15, 2026 · 6 min read
Why engines pushed AI answers to the top, the problems it causes, and how to get back to plain, trustworthy links.
june 12, 2026 · 6 min read
A step-by-step guide to clearing your history across Google, your browser, and your device, then stopping it at the source.
june 10, 2026 · 6 min read
A balanced look at how private DuckDuckGo actually is, what it does well, where its limits are, and whether it is enough.
june 3, 2026 · 6 min read
A practical shortlist of engines that do not track you, with honest notes on what each does well and which fits you.
may 20, 2026 · 7 min read
A no-nonsense guide to stopping Google from logging your searches, from account settings to the one switch that does the most.
may 6, 2026 · 6 min read
What your search history reveals, how it is kept, and how to keep yours from becoming a permanent record.
april 22, 2026 · 7 min read
A practical guide to shrinking targeted advertising, with realistic expectations about what actually works.
april 8, 2026 · 6 min read
Follow one query from your keyboard to the index and back, and see where privacy is won or lost.
march 25, 2026 · 7 min read
Why a growing group of people are stepping back from AI answers and going back to plain links.
march 9, 2026 · 6 min read
Privacy is not one switch. Here are the signals that leak and how to judge any engine on its merits.
february 20, 2026 · 7 min read
A side by side look at three private engines, with honest notes on where each one is the right call.
february 3, 2026 · 9 min read
An honest ranking of the best private search engines this year, and which one fits your habits.
january 14, 2026 · 8 min read
also: bare daily daily briefs recorded every day.