Brave is targeting Google with a beta version of its privacy-friendly search engine

The crypto-powered web browser Brave has expanded into the world of search with a new beta search engine to protect privacy.

The platform aims to take over Google, which collects personal data and browsing habits while delivering targeted ads and relevant search results. But it faces an uphill battle against the tech giants who hold more than 90% of the market.

In a June 22 announcement, Brave announced that it has launched the Brave Search beta built into its browser, which will provide users with an “independent privacy search / browser alternative,” first for major technologies.

For users looking to try Brave’s privacy-focused no-track search, visit search.brave.com. It’s built on an independent index that doesn’t track users or their searches and clicks, and will appeal to those who wish to avoid surveillance-based technology products like Google Search or Microsoft Bing.

The search engine will include a “Google Fallback Mix” option for those who wish to continue using results from the global tech giant’s search engine or when not enough results are returned.

Brave Search doesn’t show any initial ads and avoids the main way Google monetizes its search results. In the future, however, it will offer a free, ad-supported search along with a paid option with no ads and will contain a Basic Attention Token (BAT).

“When we get there, we’ll look into how we’re bringing private BAT revenue-sharing ads into search like we did with Brave User Ads.”

CEO Brendan Eich, who headed Mozilla and Firefox prior to founding Brave, says that because of the focused actions, getting more people to use the search function is critical to success. Your body will anonymously access the Brave servers navigate high quality search results.

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Brave’s privacy-conscious browser now has 32 million monthly active users after hitting 25 million in February, but that’s a drop from Google’s dominance in web browsing.

According to Statcounter, Google holds a whopping 92.2% market share in global search engines in May 2021, with Bing taking second place with 2.27%.

There are already privacy-oriented search options like Duck-Duck-Go that provide privacy tools like a tracking blocker. According to Tech Crunch, it is said to have between 70 and 100 million users, but it’s still an uphill battle against Google Goliath.