Privacy

Privacy is a core part of how GOOD Search is built, not a feature that was added later. Here's exactly what we collect, what we don't, and what you can do with your data.

What we don't collect

• Search history — searches are never linked to you or your account. There is no per-user search history.
• IP addresses — your IP address is not written to any database.
• Behavioral profiles — we don't track what you click, how long you stay on a page, or build any kind of interest profile.
• Location — location is used only during the search that needs it and discarded immediately afterward.

This applies whether you're logged in or not.

What we do store

If you don't have an account:

• A daily usage count to enforce the search limit. It is stored as a hashed, anonymous identifier (SHA-256 of your IP address and a browser fingerprint) — the hash cannot be reversed to identify you. It expires automatically at midnight UTC.

If you have an account:

• Your email address — encrypted, used only to log you in.
• Your search preferences (language, country, safe search, etc.) — encrypted.
• Your subscription status — needed to manage your plan and quota.
• Your account creation date — used to calculate when your monthly quota resets.

That's it. No search history. No behavioral data. No advertising profile.

Anonymous analytics

We use two analytics tools on our own infrastructure to understand how the service is used and to detect abuse.

Self-hosted page analytics:

• Page views by URL path — no user identifiers, no cookies, no cross-site tracking.
• Funnel events (sign-ups, plan upgrades) as anonymous counts with no personal data.

Search call log:

Every search API call records one anonymous metadata row: the search type (web, images, news…), the provider used, country code from GeoIP, language setting, safesearch setting, and whether the caller was logged in. Your search query is never stored in this log. Records are deleted automatically after 90 days.

This log is used only to track usage volume, provider distribution, and geographic trends — it is not a logging tool and does not record what you searched for.

Neither system contains user IDs, account identifiers, IP addresses, cookies, or cross-site tracking. No data is shared with any third party.

How we protect you from third-party tracking

When you search, your query goes to an external provider (Brave, Mojeek, or Staan). Those providers never see your IP address or any identifying information — all requests are sent from our servers, not your browser.

Images and thumbnails in search results are also loaded through our servers, not directly from the original source. This means third-party websites can't set cookies in your browser or see that you visited from GOOD Search.

Location data

The Local search tab can use your GPS location to find nearby places. This is always opt-in:

• You share your location by clicking the pin icon for a specific search.
• Your coordinates are used for that search only and are not stored.
• You can type a place name instead of sharing your location.

Authentication and privacy

Signing in actually improves your privacy in a few ways:

• Your preferences are stored encrypted rather than exposed in browser cookies or URL parameters.
• You get explicit control over location permissions.
• Quota tracking is tied to your account rather than browser fingerprinting.

We don't use authentication to track you. There's no "signed-in search history" — the lack of a search log applies equally to all users.

Your rights

Delete your account: Go to Account Settings → Delete Account. All your data is removed immediately. Billing records are kept for 90 days as required by law, then deleted.

Export your data: You can export your preferences from your account settings at any time.

Correct or update your data: Update your preferences in settings at any time.

Questions: Contact us at privacy@good-impact.org or reach our Data Protection Officer at dpo@good-impact.org.

Compliance

GOOD Search complies with GDPR and CCPA. We collect the minimum data necessary to run the service and never sell personal information.