Once you have read the r/privacy Megathread for six months, you will buy a Raspberry Pi or a used Dell Optiplex. This is the "Self-Host" phase.
With over 3 million members, the subreddit is a firehose of news, leaks, and paranoia. But navigating its daily chaos is difficult. That is why the community relies on the holy grail of data protection: . rprivacy megathread
| Search Engine | Privacy Grade | r/privacy Verdict | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | B+ | Good for 90% of users. The Megathread notes it routes through AWS (Amazon) and filters "Russian disinfo" – a political red flag for some. | | Startpage | A | Returns Google results (best quality) but strips all trackers. The Megathread supports it because they are based in the EU (Netherlands). | | SearXNG | A+ | The self-hosted king. Instance aggregator. Warning: Choose a trusted public instance (like searx.be ); never log in to accounts via SearX. | | Brave Search | B- | Independent index. Good, but the Megathread suspects eventual enshittification. | Once you have read the r/privacy Megathread for
Essential advice on using VPNs , ad-blockers (like uBlock Origin ), and privacy-focused browsers to avoid ISP "angry letters" or tracking. Current State of Piracy (2026) Piracy Resources and Tools Megathread | PDF | Download But navigating its daily chaos is difficult