Solved Search engine changed to Startpage

justin1111

Your most recent update has overwritten my search preferences to some rubbish called "STARTPAGE.COM"

I have updated the preferences through SETTINGS --> SEARCH

but when typing a keyword from a previous search that was returned through STARTPAGE, it redirects back to startpage.

You (not me, YOU) have 2 days to remove this shit or I will be removing Vivaldi FOREVER.

Who the hell asked for STARTPAGE.COM

pafflick

@justin1111 We recently changed the default search engine in selected regions from Bing to Startpage as we no longer have a deal with Bing. Partnerships with search engines are integral for us to generate revenue, which helps us fund the development of the browser.

As with almost everything in Vivaldi, you're free to change this setting at any time. To remove the old address field autocomplete entries from history, when they appear in the drop-down menu, click on the × icon displayed next to them (on the right) or highlight them by pressing the down arrow key, and then [SHIFT]+[DELETE] (while the item is highlighted).

mib2berlin

@justin1111
Bye bye!
Or read 9. in the manual: https://help.vivaldi.com/desktop/tools/search/

iAN CooG

DoctorG

@justin1111 said in startpage.com rubbish:

You (not me, YOU) have 2 days to remove this shit

Do not be lazy, you can do it yourself.
We can not fix your browser.

pafflick

@justin1111 We recently changed the default search engine in selected regions from Bing to Startpage as we no longer have a deal with Bing. Partnerships with search engines are integral for us to generate revenue, which helps us fund the development of the browser.

As with almost everything in Vivaldi, you're free to change this setting at any time. To remove the old address field autocomplete entries from history, when they appear in the drop-down menu, click on the × icon displayed next to them (on the right) or highlight them by pressing the down arrow key, and then [SHIFT]+[DELETE] (while the item is highlighted).

DaaBoss

@pafflick

I'd strongly recommend that you elucidate your reply with a LOT more detail:

I'm only here, since I had to SEARCH to even find any reference to this STARTPAGE.com company and Vivaldi, let alone that you changed the default to this search engine. I REALLY thought I'd picked up some MALWARE. The name alone would lead one to conclude that this was malware, in certainly a misleading name. (NOTE: this is a SEARCH ENGINE, and NOT a "Start Page", even if they would like to sell it as one.)

While I can sympathize with the economic concerns, that alone won't convince anyone that they should allow it to be changed. How about telling us WHY, other than your economic interests, (which I agree are partially to our benefit as well), that we should support USING this engine. But, this starts with INFORMING US on what is going on, and not just surprising us the FIRST TIME I've seen it. You could for instance, on FIRST USE, bring up a PAGE telling us that YOU MADE the CHANGE, WHY, and WHY this is a GOOD THING FOR US USERS. Then also, tell us what we will LOSE: For instance, many engines do save your history of search, which can be used for the user's benefit, (yeah, OR HARM).

I'd like to know what this means on the REFERENCED "PAGE 9" below: -- "StartPage.com -- Searches Google, ANONYMOUSLY". I mean, it SOUNDS that it MIGHT be good, or not. How about EDUCATING all of us??

--- UPDATE: REVIEWS >> https://privacydefend.com/startpage-com-review/ I found this review helpful, esp near the end when it discusses the purchase of the majority of its shares by an ad company. This doesn't disqualify them, but adds possible color to the subject.

There's also more on REDDIT, searching the last year of the SUB-Reddit, /r/DEgoogle https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/search/?q=StartPage&cId=e387aa5a-1af8-41b6-9657-1ef7d6871728&iId=6e0a2094-fa73-40f7-9c50-d467df28ae03&t=year

ADDED Wikipedia link, as suggested by @PathDuck below: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage.com (Yeah, I should have also checked / searched Wikipedia as well. Thanks for the reminder.)

Pathduck

@DaaBoss How about, you know, educating yourself?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startpage.com

pafflick

@DaaBoss This change was implemented only for users who never changed their search settings and used the default search engine all along. If you pick any search engine manually, you shouldn't be affected by our changes to the default settings.

We don't make changes like this frequently, and each time it only affects a small portion of existing users. However, I understand why it might've been confusing to you, and we'll look into how we can improve it and make it more transparent for our users in the future.

iAN CooG

@DaaBoss said in Search engine changed to Startpage:

How about EDUCATING all of us??

Your lack of knowledge doesn't mean that Vivaldi hasn't informed everyone that Startpage was a partner, see
https://vivaldi.com/blog/startpage-vivaldi-bring-more-privacy-to-search/
since 2020

derDay

@pafflick said:

This change was implemented only for users who never changed their search settings and used the default search engine all along.

yeah, and users who use the guest window (but actual they can't easy contribute via guest window because of bug VB-102252 which had his birthday the last days wink wink)

KalliasX

//MODEDIT: Inappropriate comments removed. User is reminded to observe the Community Code of Conduct

KalliasX

sorry for the language but this was really a stupid thing to do... I get that startpage can't vet their sponsored ad, but they should, the first thing i click on startpage sends me to a 0 / 100 score site!

Oh and before you make fun cause I clicked the first result on a search engine, we alll can have off days, be tired, and do things with muscle memory... imagine computer illiterate lambda users using the engine and getting god knows what installed on their computers. If my dad was still alive, he'd infect even a mac with such crappy/scammy sponsored ads. I get it that it's not Vivaldi's fault directly, but I still think it was a dumb move, no longer recommending it the browser if this stays in place. Just my 2 cents

Ken45

@pafflick said in Search engine changed to Startpage:

@DaaBoss This change was implemented only for users who never changed their search settings and used the default search engine all along. If you pick any search engine manually, you shouldn't be affected by our changes to the default settings.

We don't make changes like this frequently, and each time it only affects a small portion of existing users. However, I understand why it might've been confusing to you, and we'll look into how we can improve it and make it more transparent for our users in the future.

I'm trying to make a reply but it keeps saying my message is marked as spam?? Why??! This is the comment, what's "spam" about it??

Morimio

I also thought I got some kind of virus.

From time to time when I format my PC or Android, I used to change from Bing to Google (maybe Sync doesn't work quite well for search engines), but when I saw "Start Page" the first thing I thought was "Okay, I'm effed."

Anyway... I uninstalled Vivaldi immediately and did some virus checks on my PC... then I search in Google what is this... "Start Page", since... well... it looked like virus to me, lol.

I think some kind of notice, popup or something like that would benefit so I (and probably some other people) won't be so frightened.

andrewhoke

Well, I've been using Bing since before I found Vivaldi and was saved from the Chrome blight. I was equally alarmed to see my search engine had been changed. Seeing that only users in certain reasons who were using the default search engine stings a little for those Bing loyalists like me who've been bitten by being lumped in with the default search engine users who apparently don't care what search engine they use.

I was fine to change my search engine back to Bing and continue on my way. But now, I am occasionally receiving popups from Vivaldi asking me to please reconsider not using Startpage, and this rubs me the wrong way a bit.

I get Vivaldi is a free service (and a fantastic value as such), and that it's a delicate balancing keeping the company afloat without directly charging users while also remaining true to unobtrusiveness, but I think there could have been a more elegant way to say "deals with search engines are an important part of Vivaldi's operating income, and we'd really appreciate if you considered switching to Startpage to help support Vivaldi's mission."

Pesala

@andrewhoke Users are free to use any search engine. Vivaldi has a policy of not collecting user data. Experienced Vivaldi users do care which search engine they use. I prefer Ecosia, but I occasionally use Bing for image search, and Google for map searching.

Bing does collect user data. Here's a brief overview:

Search Queries: Bing collects the search terms you enter to improve search results and personalize ads.
IP Address and Location: To provide location-based services and ads.
Cookies: Used to identify your device across different sessions, which helps in offering a personalized experience.
Device Information: Details about the type of device, operating system, browser type, etc., are collected to optimize the service for different platforms.
Usage Data: How you interact with Bing's services, including pages visited, links clicked, etc.

As far as I know, the message about search engines and revenue on which Vivaldi depends only appears once. Perhaps it will reappear after reinstalling Vivaldi.

iqaluit

Post removed. User is reminded to observe the Community Code of Conduct

https://vivaldi.com/privacy/code-of-conduct/