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Ecosia is basically a German-based search engine that spends 80% of its revenue, generated from traditional advertisements technique, for planting trees globally. Its main purpose is to help the organizations that go for eco-friendly practices especially plant trees worldwide.
For contributing into such environment-friendly exercise, you don’t even need to install Ecosia. You can bookmark the Ecosia Search Engine Homepage and easily go for browsing just like you casually do. Your 45 searches will help plant a tree in this world.
Is Ecosia Virus?
Some dodgy websites or articles will misguide you about Ecosia. They clearly declare Ecosia as a malware, virus or spyware. However, there’s no truth in their claims.
Ecosia is absolutely a safe and secure search engine that will not hurt your computer or programs. Even its browser extension will not leave your computer with malwares or viruses.
However, some users may find dangerous or fake advertisement content on the application, which makes them doubt the legitimacy of this credible search engine. Perhaps that is why they consider Ecosia as a malicious app. But those scamming deals are related to advertiser companies not the app developers.
Do Ecosia Actually Plant trees?
Isn’t it unbelievable that you can help Mother Nature by planting trees without even making any efforts? It would be astonishing to know that your single search can plant a tree. And you can avail this opportunity by browsing the Ecosia Search Engine.
You’d browse the internet in any way, so why not plant trees while searching for queries? So, this guide will let you dive a bit deeper into what Ecosia Search Engine is and how it serves you as well as the nature of its searches. So, let’s find it out!
Is Ecosia legit?
Ecosia employees don’t plant trees by themselves. But, this website helps other organizations that practice ecologically sound approaches.
This search engine has become a certified “B Corporation” which makes Ecosia for-profit organization in its essence. This certification has been given by “B Lab”- a non-profit organization that works for better social and environmental approaches.
When any corporation gets awarded with this certification, it serves as an honor and proof that the corporation fulfills rigorous social and environmental exercises with transparency and accountability in its services.
This certification makes Ecosia Search Engine a legitimate browser to go and help yourself along with surrounded environment and habitats.
Many users have some others questions related to Ecosia and its algorithms. So, we have designed this article to end all your confusion. Let’s specifically discuss the most asked queries related to Ecosia Search Engine.
At first, if you’re concerned about whether Ecosia actually is safe to use or not, let’s dig it out logically.
Is Ecosia Safe?
Ecosia does beat even Google and Bing in terms of privacy. It means if you go for browsing on Ecosia, all your searches will remain encrypted. You can clearly see the lock icon in Ecosia’s address bar, indicating it as a safe and secure browser for your search entries.
Also, it doesn’t use any tracking tools nor has an agreement with third-parties. This indicates that whatever you search on Ecosia remains anonymous to other parties. It also doesn’t create users’ personal profiles for commercialization.
Meanwhile, Ecosia itself makes engine’s searches anonymous right after one week and delete all your browsing histories and searched data itself without leaving any traces of it.
Now this makes it clear that Ecosia stores data for only 7 days just to identify and monitor bugs, spam, and other issues in its services. After 7 days, the data is 100% removed, and Ecosia has no way to know what you searched before or what related searches you should be provided with. Ecosia is 100% safe to use.
Additionally, if you want to delete your browsing history of Ecosia, you can easily do it without diving into any difficulty. Ecosia’s setting menu is quite simple and easy to use, thus making the use of this search engine as a piece of cake for you.
Likewise, you can also turn to track off in your settings if you don’t want to get tracked in any case. And, if you have concerns about ads on Ecosia, you don’t need to get worried about it. Ecosia doesn’t pop up personalized ads as it promises to use this advertisement technique just to generate revenue for the plantation while respecting user’s privacy.
All in all, Ecosia uses an SSL secured connection which makes it valid. It ensures that no one except you and Ecosia can access your shared data or entered searches. Ecosia’s SSL certificates are managed by the most trusted SSL certificate authority worldwide that is Digicert.
If you still have any queries, you can also visit their Privacy Page for further assurance.
Have you got your answer? Now head on to next!
Is Ecosia a virus or spam?
Whenever you go for downloading the Ecosia Extension for Chrome and then scan it with different Malware Programs, they show Ecosia as a “possible virus” or “potentially unwanted program”. In actual many malware programs while downloading infect computers. So when anti-malware software finds Ecosia, it tells people that Ecosia has different legitimate software than malware. So rest assured because downloading Ecosia is safe for your computer.
Scamadviser
How Ecosia Is Safe To Use?
Ecosia is like an open book for its users to read but the users should not be like that. That’s what Ecosia believes! Moreover, Ecosia’s strict privacy policy makes it secure, legit and one of the most privacy friendly search engines universally.
If you’re still not convinced by its credibility, I suggest you to give it go. It’s totally free and you have got nothing to lose to give it a shot.
Pros and Cons of Ecosia Search Engine
Here is a list of Pros and Cons that Ecosia does have while competing in the market.
Ecosia Pros
- Ecosia is quite transparent in declaring its earning sources and how it spends money
- Ecosia majors environment friendly practices and work for achieving sustainable environmental standards
- It provides its user’s a chance to participate in this noble cause without making any efforts
- It has a very clean, simple, and user-friendly interface
- It is very easy to integrate Ecosia in your life routine
- Everyone has access to read about their financials
- Ecosia allows you to turn off tracking manually if you don’t want it
- It respects users’ privacy and doesn’t sell their data to third parties or advertising companies
- Uses an SSL secured connection
- Provides you options to use the site either by bookmarking the site’s homepage or adding its extension to Google
- All your searches are encrypted on Ecosia
- Ecosia is also available as an application
- It is a gamified search engine
Ecosia Cons
- It uses Bing to provide you search results
- It shows limited images in search outcomes
- You may not be able to find your query related results on Ecosia sometimes
Ecosia Reviews 2021
Despite all the provided information, many users still prefer to read reviews before trying anything in order to decide before experience. So, if you’re counted among those, here are some reviews about Ecosia for you to have a look at first.
Additionally, Ecosia Search Engine has also become Google’s default option for Chrome users. Therefore, you can easily switch your Chrome Browser to Ecosia or can install and add an Ecosia extension that is mainly compatible with all the major searching browsers.
Ecosia guarantees excellent search results that all are powered by Bing actually. It uses Bing’s technology to solve user’s queries along with its own algorithms.
It promises full transparency in spending its revenue for eco-friendly practices by providing proofs of published financial reports and ensuring to be CO2-neutral. Furthermore, it means, Ecosia is safe to use for browsing purposes as it doesn’t exploit user’s personal details online for selling it to third parties or business purposes.
If you still have a doubt that Ecosia is an actual and legitimate green search engine or not, here’s a proof of that claim.
Thus, from helping nature to maintaining privacy policy, people admire Ecosia on all hands. Once started, you will enjoy using it as it gamifies searches for you along with a motivation disguised as an environment-friendly practice.
Frequently Asked Question
For some quick and brief answers, this FAQ will help you solve your queries within no time.
Can I trust Ecosia?
Ecosia serves as an open book for people to come, read, analyze, and then use. Its financials are public so is the privacy policy. You don’t have anything to lose, so it’s better to trust Ecosia and try it.
Is Ecosia a safe search engine?
You don’t need to worry as Ecosia is a very safe and secure site. It doesn’t sell its users’ personal data to third parties not does it hurt your computer with malwares or malicious files. Ecosia has a very incredible track record since it’s been around and you can’t go wrong with it.
Is Ecosia as good as Google?
Ecosia is better than Google in terms of privacy and for environment. But as speed, number of users and relevancy is concerned; Google has no competition in market
Do Ecosia actually plant trees?
Ecosia spends 80% of its revenue in forestation campaigns that it generates from online advertisements. However, it also saves money for unseen and unpredictable future circumstances which automatically channel back to Ecosia’s fund if not used.
How useful is Ecosia?
Ecosia focuses on environmental-friendly practices and works for sustainability. With every search, it claims to remove 1Kg of CO2 from the environment and spends 80 of its revenue in plantation drives.
Is Ecosia faster than Chrome?
Ecosia can never beat Chrome in speed and this disparity is cleared by the number of searches on each engine. Google receives 40,000 search entries in a second whereas Ecosia receives only 56 queries per second.
Is Ecosia real?
Ecosia has been certified as a B Corporation, making it a credicle and legitimate search engine to explore things on.
Does Ecosia sell your data?
Ecosia doesn’t sell user’s data for business purposes. Nevertheless, it saves your data for in-house analytical system to identify loopholes or spams in its services.
Does Ecosia track you?
Ecosia doesn’t track its users. Even after saving data for self-improvement, Ecosia itself anonymizes that data after a week. So it has no way to know about your search history or show relevant results or advertisements.
Is Ecosia a virus?
Not at all. Ecosia is a very safe browsing tool; however, this PUP is termed as a virus or a potential unwanted program due to unexpectedly showing up on the browser.
Is Ecosia free to use?
Ecosia is free to try and enter search queries. With every 45 searches, Ecosia plants a tree, making itself a green search engine.
Who runs Ecosia?
Bing runs Ecosia along with Ecosia’s own algorithms.
