Yauba.co.in - A Privacy Safe Search Engine

Some say that search engines are nothing but a double-edged sword. They do let anybody find what he wants in an accurate way - if you need to do some research, you will find the information right away. Trouble is, any child looking for something inappropriate will also find it in the same way, and (what’s even worse) he might get more than he bargained for. And there is also the whole issue of privacy – IE, when you execute a search you are never fully sure what or who you are letting into your computer.

This latter concern is addressed by this Indian initiative, a search engine that puts privacy under the spotlight. Consequently, every measure to protect the user is taken. This includes not keeping records of the user’s search terms, and deleting every piece of personally identifiable information from the servers.

In addition to that, a big effort has gone into creating a truly intelligent engine, and this effort has resulted in an algorithm of is own named DESI (Distributed Electronic Semantic Intelligence). This makes for a complex disambiguation process and the identification of referential meanings.

Although this engine is solely aimed at the population of India, I felt it was really worth including here today because the overall concept and approach is quite refreshing. I am sure we all agree that similar initiatives as regards other regions of the world would be more than welcome.

“Yauba is a new, experimental, Indian search engine that seeks to transform the way people find information online, while providing maximum protection for their safety, security and privacy. Launched in 'early beta/late alpha' mode on March 2009 after stealth development in Bangalore, Delhi, and London, Yauba is based on over 25 years of cutting edge research from the Indian Institutes of Technology, the University of Delhi, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of California at Berkeley. As a result, Yauba offers Indian users some of the most advanced Internet technologies, features, and innovations in the world.”

It is a very compelling development that brings many interesting questions and considerations into the picture.

What would it take to see similar endeavors emerge elsewhere?