Re: [tor-bugs] #8839 [Torbutton]: startpage.com filters search results

["Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki" <blackhole@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

#8839: startpage.com filters search results
-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  cypherpunks  |          Owner:     
     Type:  defect       |         Status:  new
 Priority:  major        |      Milestone:     
Component:  Torbutton    |        Version:     
 Keywords:               |         Parent:     
   Points:               |   Actualpoints:     
-------------------------+--------------------------------------------------
Changes (by nickm):

 * cc: mikeperry (added)
  * priority:  normal => major


Comment:

 You can manufature startpage URLs that have arbitrary combinations of
 preferences.  Go to the settings page, click the settings you want, and
 click "Get URL."  Use that as the search URL rather than the.
 Alternatively, I believe there's a cookie you can set.  So the technical
 possibility exists.

 Mike, I think this one is a good idea.  I'm hearing reports that the "porn
 blocker" is not just blocking porn, but is being assholish about LGBT
 stuff, which is of course serious.  I did a little investigation, and it
 also seems that their filter blocks many searches for nonmainstream sexual
 practices, regardless of the pornographic content of the webpage.  This
 has some tremendously negative effects.  For example, one can search for
 "lesbians" and get some okay-looking webpages, and for "kink" and get some
 webpages about hairstyling and bent ropes, but when one searches for
 "lesbians and kink", you get no results with the "safe" filter on.  There
 are probably bunches of other examples, but that one is seriously
 problematic in my book.

 Furthermore, when I search for that term, it gives me advertisements for
 at least one thing that it presumably would have filtered otherwise, which
 kind of implies to me that the whole filtering mechanism just sucks.

 Can we try it with the filter off in the next alpha and see if it is
 finally the straw on the camel's back that sets off the promised
 pornopocalypse that has yet failed to destroy western civilization?

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/8839#comment:4>
Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki <https://trac.torproject.org/>
The Tor Project: anonymity online
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