EuroPriSe: Privacy-friendly Internet search with Ixquick and Startpage reaffirmed

Netherlands based Surfboard Holding B.V. proved that their meta search engines Ixquick and Startpage still meet all relevant requirements of EU data protection law.

Surfboard Holding B.V. runs a meta search engine which is provided under two different names: Ixquick and Startpage. Both versions of the service use the same IT-systems, but a different look and feel. Users can search the Internet for web pages, images and videos, therefore making use of multiple third party search engines.

Ixquick and Startpage especially focus on protecting the privacy of their users: Notably, they do not store users’ search terms, IP addresses and user agent information and offer a proxy to view search results anonymously. In 2008, the very first European Privacy Seal was awarded to Surboard Holding for an earlier version of Ixquick. Since then, the service has been continuously improved in terms of privacy and the seal has been renewed on a regular basis.

”Surfboard goes to great lengths to preserve the privacy of Ixquick’s and Startpage’s users.” says Sebastian Meissner, Head of the EuroPriSe Certification Authority. “They implemented a terrific bundle of privacy-friendly functionalities which absolutely deserve to be labelled as privacy-enhancing technologies.”

“Trust is a key element of our privacy-friendly products, but trust needs to be verified.” says Robert Beens, CEO of Surfboard Holding. “The high-quality certification standards of the EuroPriSe Privacy Seal guarantee our users that they can trust us with their privacy.”

Further information about the recertification of Ixquick and Startpage is available at https://www.european-privacy-seal.eu/EPS-en/Ixquick-Startpage.

About EuroPriSe
EuroPriSe started as an EU-funded project aimed at establishing a trans-European privacy seal. Today, EuroPriSe offers certifications for IT products and IT-based services throughout the EU. A unique certification, the EuroPriSe seal assures users that their personal data are handled in accordance with European data protection laws. As the only EU-wide, independent privacy seal, EuroPriSe enables enterprises to demonstrate their compliance with European laws and regulations. EuroPriSe certifications have been awarded to businesses of all sizes, including small and medium-sized companies as well as multinational organizations such as Microsoft and SAP.

About Surfboard Holding B.V.
Surfboard is an independently operated Dutch company that exists since 1998. It owns and operates Ixquick and Startpage, privacy search engines that provide the most relevant search results to its users in the best possible privacy. Surfboard was the first to receive the EuroPriSe - European Privacy Seal in 2008. It is the only 3rd party certified search engine. Its privacy practices are widely considered the best in the business.

Press contact:
Sebastian Meissner
EuroPriSe GmbH
Joseph-Schumpeter-Allee 25, 53227 Bonn, Germany
Email: contact@european-privacy-seal.eu
Phone: +49 228 763 679 30
www.european-privacy-seal.eu

This release was published on openPR.