In a bid to challenge the dominance of US tech giants Google and Microsoft, search engines Ecosia and Qwant have announced a partnership to build an independent European search index, a report has said. The joint venture, called European Search Perspective (EUSP), aims to offer improved search results in French and German, with a planned launch in France in early 2025.
Search engine Ecosia is a Germany-based search engine while Qwant is based out of France. As per a report by CNBC, the initiative comes as alternative search engines are facing challenges posed by their reliance on Google and Microsoft.
Qwant and Ecosia have carved out niches with their focus on sustainability and privacy, respectively. While Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine that promises not to track users or resell their personal data, Ecosia’s focuses on sustainability.
What is independent European search index that Qwant and Ecosia want to build
The companies are dependent on the infrastructure created by large tech companies like Microsoft but the EUSP joint venture seeks to change the reliance by building their own search index from scratch and offer a truly European alternative. The index will combine results from various search engines, prioritising user privacy and utilising Qwant’s redesigned privacy-focused technology.
The move is also said to be driven by concerns about rising costs and alleged geopolitical risks associated with relying on US tech infrastructure. Olivier Abecassis, CEO of Qwant, emphasised the importance of “sovereignty of our business and companies.”
He cited recent price hikes for Microsoft’s Bing Search API as an example of the vulnerability that comes with dependence on external providers.
Meanwhile, Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, drew parallels to Europe’s energy crisis following the Russia-Ukraine war, stressing the need to avoid over-reliance on any single country for critical resources, including technology.