Swisscows Privacy Policy
Swisscows is a privacy-focused search engine.
We take the privacy of our users very seriously.
The services are operated by Swisscows AG (the “Company”, “we”), headquartered in Egnach, Switzerland. The Company is therefore subject to the laws and regulations of Switzerland. We also comply with the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
By using Swisscows, you significantly reduce the amount of data collected about you. We do not create personal profiles; instead, all search queries are anonymized. Other search engines, on the other hand, have numerous ways to access your data, such as Google through its own operating system (Android), its own browser (Chrome), its own video platform (YouTube), and Google Analytics, which is used on many websites and devices. In this way, data from multiple sources is combined and linked, detailed user profiles are created, and personalized search results and advertisements are displayed.
Other search engines also create user profiles and store your search history together with the date and time of your searches, as well as certain information such as your IP address, user agent, often a browser cookie, and—if you are logged in—your account information. As a result, your search queries can often be directly tracked.
Swisscows ensures that your privacy is protected, and we consider this our mission. We do not use cookies or other tracking technologies, do not create user profiles, and do not know who you are. The very limited and anonymous information collected by Swisscows is not sold. It is used solely to provide our services.
The following privacy policy explains in more detail how we handle personal data and provides information on why we collect data and how it is used.
How does Swisscows protect your privacy?
Swisscows collects only the data necessary to provide our services. This data is stored in anonymized form in our own self-hosted analytics system.
Swisscows does not use profiling based on your search history. This ensures that each time you submit a query to our search engine, you receive neutral and unbiased search results.
Swisscows does not use cookies that could identify users. We also do not use other tracking technologies such as tracking pixels or browser fingerprinting.
Access to Swisscows is only permitted via a secure HTTPS connection. This ensures that no one can secretly intercept your queries or steal your personal data.
Swisscows’ headquarters and servers are located in Switzerland. Any request or demand by a government authority (including the US government) to disclose data is carefully reviewed by our legal counsel. We will only comply if it is clearly demonstrated that applicable law requires us to do so. Even in such a hypothetical case, we will point out that we do not have any personal user data that could be disclosed.
If you have any questions about data protection, please contact:
Swisscows AG
Bucherstrasse 2
9322 Egnach
Schweiz
privacy@swisscows.com
Personal data at Swisscows
We collect data from incoming search queries to filter out spam and abusive search requests. Unfortunately, spam bots must be monitored and blocked; otherwise, they would place a heavy burden on our servers and cause significant costs.
You can use Swisscows without registering. However, if you wish to benefit from additional features, an account is required. When you register, we collect personal data such as your name and email address. You are free to change, update, or delete any information associated with your account.
Swisscows includes registration forms (e.g., during payment processes or customer support and verification procedures) in which users may voluntarily provide certain information such as their email address. We use this information to create an account or provide customer support. Upon request, contact details may be used to send you messages, updates, and promotional material about our products or those of our partners. This information will never be shared with third parties.
Users may unsubscribe from unwanted emails by using the unsubscribe option provided in the email or by contacting us directly at support@swisscows.com.
Personal data is collected and processed by Swisscows exclusively for the following purposes:
- technical administration of user accounts and available services in accordance with Article 6(1)(b) GDPR;
- management of information requests related to the use of the services in accordance with Article 6(1)(b) GDPR;
- ensuring the security of Swisscows’ information systems as part of security management and the proper functioning of the services, including the detection of fraudulent ad clicks and automated abusive searches, in accordance with Article 6(1)(f) GDPR.
Swisscows does not create user profiles.
With Swisscows Pro, users can search completely anonymously and without advertising.
How does Swisscows store your personal data?
Your data is stored on our servers in Switzerland and is under no circumstances shared with external technical subcontractors.
Some data is transmitted to our advertising partners only after careful anonymization in order to prevent click fraud and abuse, detect bots, and select local or regional advertisements. This includes:
- IP address with the last octet masked (for example, if your IP address is 146.185.79.104, it becomes 146.185.79.0 after masking, so it can no longer be linked to you);
- user agent without unique or potentially identifiable components;
- the search query;
- search region settings.
Personal user data is stored for as long as the user is registered with Swisscows and uses the offered services.
Data related to your Swisscows account is deleted immediately after the account is removed.
Data submitted for the processing of information requests is deleted immediately after the request has been answered.
Videos in Swisscows search results
If videos are embedded in the search results, you can watch them directly on Swisscows without leaving our search engine. We do not store any data related to your use of these videos. However, the videos are loaded by your browser from the servers of the respective hosting providers, which may collect certain personal data.
Playback of videos obtained via the YouTube API services is subject to YouTube’s Terms of Service and Google’s Privacy Policy.
Advertising on Swisscows
Like other search engines, we display search advertisements alongside search results.
Advertising materials from our partners Microsoft Bing and Google are embedded via iFrames. When these iFrames are loaded, personal data is automatically transmitted to the respective providers—regardless of whether users interact with the advertisements. The processing of such data is carried out under the sole responsibility of the respective providers.
Further information can be found in the privacy policies of the providers:
Purposes of processing
- technical delivery of advertising
- reach measurement
- prevention of fraud and abuse
- adaptation of advertisements to technical parameters
With Swisscows Pro, you can search completely anonymously and without advertising.