Startpage Privacy Protection

The Startpage Privacy Protection extension provides private search and online data protection.
What is Startpage Privacy Protection?
Startpage Privacy Protection is a Chrome extension providing private and secure internet browsing. It sets your default search engine to startpage.com ensuring your activities are private and not tracked. It provides a user-centric solution to block advertising and third-party tracking, control social media tracking, and protect against fingerprinting. Monitor your website privacy with a simple glance at the allotted rating and swiftly exit any page with the Esc key.

Extension stats

This extension was removed from Chrome Web Store on 2023-09-15
Users: 98,599+
Rating: 4.40 (45)
Version: 1.1.5 (Last updated: 2022-11-03)
Creation date: 2021-12-10
Risk impact: Very high risk impact
Risk likelihood: High risk likelihood
Manifest version: 2
Overrides search engine: Yes
Permissions:
  • webRequest
  • webRequestBlocking
  • https://www.startpage.com/*
  • tabs
  • http://*/*
  • https://*/*
  • webNavigation
  • storage
  • cookies
  • privacy
  • See more
Size: 4.23M

Other platforms

Startpage Privacy Protection (v1.1.7)
4.57 (61) 50,197+
Not available on Edge
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Extension summary

Easy and secure privacy protection across the internet. With this privacy extension, you can automatically block trackers and cookies from websites you visit and ensure all your searches are in complete privacy. With just one click, you can seamlessly decrease the amount of personal data Big Tech and non-private search engines are collecting on you.

Startpage Privacy Protection is designed to give people control over what personal data is shared. You have the power to visibly monitor the privacy practices of each website you visit and can turn off and on your privacy and tracking settings.

This privacy extension provides the following private search engine and blocker features:

  • Sets default search engine to startpage.com
  • Ensures your search engine activities are private, not saved, sold or used for profiling.
  • Blocks trackers and cookies
  • Stops trackers from being placed on search activities by advertisers and third parties
  • Reports website privacy scoring
  • Evaluates and calculates a privacy rating based on each site’s privacy.
  • Overrides social media tracking
  • Replaces social media, video, and music site tracking defaults with “click-to-activate” privacy options.
  • Sends global privacy control signal
  • Sends visited sites a signal with your privacy preferences.
See more

User reviews

These summaries are automatically generated weekly using AI based on recent user reviews. Chrome Web Store does not verify user reviews, so some user reviews may be inaccurate, spammy, or outdated.
Pros
  • Blocks trackers
  • Privacy protection
  • Clear reports with privacy scores
  • Easy to use and intuitive
  • Great for getting an idea of how much tracking each site applies
  • Great protection from online scammers
  • Startpage is a great search engine
Cons
  • Forces Startpage as default search engine
  • No option to disable default Startpage in extension settings
  • Startpage search results can be irrelevant
  • Startpage uses first positions for placed ads
  • Does not block or mask fingerprints via canvas, webgl, fonts, audio, etc.
  • Changes browser search engine without asking and doesn't allow changing it back
Most mentioned
  • Blocks trackers
  • Forces Startpage as default search engine
  • Changes browser search engine without asking and doesn't allow changing it back
Recent reviews
Even after uninstalling the extension, my default start page is set to startpage.com and I can't figure out how to remove it. I can see that others have made this observation, and that there's chatter online that the service is not what it says it is. I would suggest that they respond to this comment and help me remove it so as to improve their reputation.
by Jackson Beale, 2023-08-17

Thank you!

Would have been a 5 star review, however they have gone completely scummy by forcing your new tab window to be startpage with no way of disabling it in the extension settings. Absolutely unacceptable. Privacy badger does not change your browser settings like that, and does the exact same thing. Maybe I can revisit this if they change it, but until then 1 star it is.
by Tommy, 2022-09-20
View all user reviews

Extension safety

Risk impact

Startpage Privacy Protection requires a lot of sensitive permissions. Exercise caution before installing.

Risk likelihood

Startpage Privacy Protection may not be trust-worthy. Avoid installing if possible unless you really trust this publisher.

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Promo images

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