this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2024

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Firefox Partners with Qwant for a Better Web(?) (blog.mozilla.org)

submitted 7 months ago by Sunny@slrpnk.net to c/technology@lemmy.world

33 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I truly wonder what Lemmy has to say about this partnership. This is going to make a interesting discussion i think. Personally have no experience with Qwant, what they are and their policies.

Directly from their blogpost;

Empowering Choice: Firefox Partners with Qwant for a Better Web;

Your tech choices matter more than ever. That’s why at Firefox, we believe in empowering users to make informed decisions that align with their values. In that spirit, we’re excited to announce our partnership with Qwant, a search engine that prioritizes user privacy and tracker blocking.

Did you know you could choose the search engine of your choice right from your Firefox URL bar? Whether you prioritize privacy, climate protection, or simply want a search experience tailored to your preferences, we’ve got you covered.

Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine that puts your needs first while protecting your personal data. By blocking trackers and advertisements, Qwant helps your search results remain unbiased and comprehensive. Just like Firefox, they are committed to protecting your privacy and preserving the decentralized nature of the web, where people have control over their online experiences.

Together, Firefox and Qwant are contributing to a more open, inclusive web, and above all — one where you can make an informed choice about what tech you use, and why. Your tech choices make a difference.

As Firefox continues to champion user empowerment and innovation, we invite you to join us in shaping a web that works for everyone. Together, let’s make a positive impact—one search at a time.

Source: https://blog.mozilla.org/en/products/firefox-partners-with-qwant/

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[–] RickyWars@lemmy.ca 34 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine that puts your needs first while protecting your personal data. By blocking trackers and advertisements, Qwant helps your search results remain unbiased and comprehensive. Just like Firefox, they are committed to protecting your privacy and preserving the decentralized nature of the web, where people have control over their online experiences.

Except starting this week, Qwant has started blocking me for using an adblocker. I've had to block Javascript to get around it.

[–] anamethatisnt@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Curious. Firefox w/ Ublock Origin works fine for me when l set noscript to allow qwant.com to run javascript.

[–] RickyWars@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

There are users that complain about it from over a year ago. Maybe it's a slow rollout, or some game of cat-and-mouse where my ublock isn't updating for some reason.

But I can still search from the browser search bar and I get results. It's when trying to edit my search that I get problems.

[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Qwant has started blocking me for using an adblocker.

Just tried it. Got a message asking me to disable the adblocker but I could just accept the message and it showed me the result. Yeah, whatever. I keep using DuckDuckGo for the time being.

[–] 56_@lemmy.ml 2 points 7 months ago

I've seen it in private browsing for a while now, but it has also just started happening in a normal window. My solution was to switch to ddg for now. Disabling js breaks image browsing for me.

[–] kubica@kbin.social 16 points 7 months ago

A small tip if you are like me and haven't noticed, you can reorder the search engine list in the settings by drag and dropping.

[–] DarkThoughts@fedia.io 12 points 7 months ago

Another completely useless search engine for me. It defaults to IP based country search regions (like the IP of my default VPN server) with no ability for international searches, and only a drop down menu to switch to other countries instead of a toggle, like DDG.

[–] harsh3466@lemmy.ml 11 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

I know nothing about Qwant. I do have to say I’m kinda surprised to see Mozilla posting this. Being as the google search deal is Mozilla’s #1 revenue source.

I’m not mad that they’re bringing awareness to the ability to change the search engine, regardless of the merits of Qwant. Just a little surprised that their kinda openly thumbing their nose at Google.

Edit: spelling

[–] tja@sh.itjust.works 9 points 7 months ago

They did also partner with other search engineers before. Google is just the biggest partner

[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 3 points 7 months ago (4 children)

Yeah I was thinking the same, I dont see why Google is even keeping this deal alive? Doesn't seem like they're gaining much on it at all, as most people who use Firefox are already privacy conscious enough to change their Search Engine too...

[–] hal_5700X@sh.itjust.works 25 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I dont see why Google is even keeping this deal alive?

So Google can say, they don't have a monopoly on web browsers.

[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 1 points 7 months ago

Yeah fair point

[–] Dariusmiles2123@sh.itjust.works 8 points 7 months ago

Isn’it that Google needs Firefox to stay alive as a browser? So the fact that Google is the default search engine as default is only a way to subsidize Firefox..

I’m just speculating as I don’t have much knowledge.

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 7 months ago

most people who use Firefox are already privacy conscious enough to change their Search Engine too...

This is either hyperbole or delusional. Most Firefox users don't even use an ad blocker. Google definitely remains the selected engine for most users. There were even many complaints about the default not being Google during the Yahoo default years.

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 7 months ago

Every selectable search engine in Firefox has a partnership with it. Google just pays big bucks to be the default.

[–] sfcl33t@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

What does this partnership mean though, other than a blog post? Do they plan on changing the default search engine in FF?

[–] Sunny@slrpnk.net 5 points 7 months ago

Highly doubt that, as that's the only reason Google is paying them for I believe. Not entirely sure what the partnership entails, we'll probably get more details about it soon.

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 7 months ago

Could mean that Qwant will be a selectable option included in Firefox. Could mean something else. The last time Qwant partnered with Mozilla, it was on a Qwant-branded version of Firefox.

[–] b763e622@lemm.ee 6 points 7 months ago

Good news for Qwant - quite a neat search engine

[–] akilou@sh.itjust.works 4 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Why not use DDG?

[–] bluespin@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

DDG is abysmal for technical subjects such as programming. When searching for anything mildly specific in that arena, I nearly always need to re-search on a different engine to find anything useful

[–] Maven@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago (2 children)

DDG has fallen off HARD recently. They definitely aren't what they used to be.

[–] akilou@sh.itjust.works 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I've used it every day for years and I haven't noticed a difference

[–] Maven@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Mostly just results quality and starting to push more ads instead of real results. I can't provide any real stats but I have been very frustrated with it and had to switch out and I know a few others who had.

[–] whiskers@lemmings.world 1 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Care to explain more?

[–] Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I'm not that guy, but I recently switched off of DDG because I've been getting so frustrated with the results quality. I'm not sure if it actually got worse or not, I just know it's not good enough.

[–] doublejay1999@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

I can pretty much dismiss the 1st page of results as SEO cheats or sponsors

[–] Maven@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

Like the other guy said. Results quality and pushing more ads instead of results.

[–] hamsterkill@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 7 months ago

DDG also has a partnership with Firefox. It's one of the selectable engines included in Firefox (at least in the US).

[–] catculation@lemmy.zip 4 points 7 months ago

Why Qwant, it is not even available globally.

[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Ever since it came out that the company they partnered with to remove personal information from data brokers was owned by a guy who’d started and owned numerous data brokers, I’ve become a little skeptical that they’re doing their due diligence on their partners.

Of course, it’s still probably better than Google at least.

[–] Zarxrax@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

Never used this search engine before, but I just tried it out for several searches, and it seems to give me what I want. I'll probably try it out for a while.

[–] anamethatisnt@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I like that Qwant is based in europe and I like that their search engine ~~works~~ with javascript off.
edit: Only first page, cannot show more results at the bottom. DDG will let me continue looking through results with javascript off and will continue to be my primary search engine.

The results differ between duckduckgo and qwant for me when using english but in my native language the results are very similar.
They've said that they reinforce their search results with bing if their own index has few results, so I imagine that's why.
https://betterweb.qwant.com/en/2023/09/18/web-indexing-where-is-qwants-independence/