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Forget Google - my new go-to search tool won't track you or push AI, and it's free
When you run a search via google.com, that search not only goes through the Google servers, but it also places AI answers front and center. That centralized service means Google is in complete control of your searches.
What if you could instead use a decentralized server that runs across many devices, each of which is private and not under the control of a single organization? That's YaCy.
YaCy is a search tool you can deploy to your desktop or any computer on your home LAN that does not collect personalized data and is serious about privacy. YaCy has no "phoning home" integration and does not use cookies (although linked services may have cookies).
I deployed YaCy over the weekend and have found it to be a remarkable tool, and the search results are quite promising (enough that I've started turning to YaCy as my go-to search tool).
There are several ways you can install and run YaCy. You can download an executable binary from the official site, run it, and you're ready. Or, you can do what I did and deploy YaCy via Docker.