Repost our Wire & Startpage articles

docs/.authors.yml

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ contributors:
   url: https://www.privacyguides.org
 danarel:
   name: Dan Arel
-  description: Guest Contributor
+  description: Former Team Member
   avatar: https://github.com/danarel.png
 niek-de-wilde:
   name: Niek de Wilde
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ matchboxbananasynergy:
   avatar: https://github.com/matchboxbananasynergy.png
 mfwmyfacewhen:
   name: mfwmyfacewhen
-  description: Team Member
-  avatar: https://github.com/mfwmyfacewhen.png
+  description: Former Team Member
+  avatar: https://github.com/ghost.png
 natebartram:
   name: Nate Bartram
   description: Guest Contributor

docs/posts/delisting-startpage.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+date: 2019-11-12
+categories:
+    - Providers
+authors:
+    - niek-de-wilde
+links:
+    - posts/relisting-startpage.md
+    - Search Engines: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/search-engines/
+tags:
+    - Search Engines
+---
+# Delisting Startpage From Privacy Guides
+
+!["Delisting Startpage" cover image](../assets/images/delisting-startpage/cover.png)
+
+Dear *Privacy Guides* Community,
+
+On the 15th of October, it was [brought to our attention](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/di5rn3/startpage_is_now_owned_by_an_advertising_company/) that Startpage.com was reportedly (partially?) taken over by a company called the Privacy One Group, which is in turn owned by a company called System1. We found this quite remarkable as the two companies seem to have conflicting business models.<!-- more --> Startpage has been known for basing their advertisements on what their users enter in their search bar. System1 on the other hand, is a pay-per-click advertising company that "[has developed a pre-targeting platform that identifies and unlocks  consumer intent across channels including social, native, email, search,  market research and lead generation rather than relying solely on what  consumers enter into search boxes.](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2017/09/20/system1-raises-270-million-for-consumer-intent.html)"
+
+We reached out to System1 CEO [Ian Weingarten](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/system1-appoints-ian-weingarten-ceo-185700741.html) for an explanation. We received a very general response that did not address key questions.
+
+Seemingly prompted by our ongoing concerns, Startpage released a public letter addressed to us from their CEO, and hosted a [Q&A](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.reddit.com/r/StartpageSearch/comments/djshn3/hello_reddit_startpage_mod_team/) on their Subreddit to try and explain the situation. While some of our questions were answered, we noted that the company seemed to be evasive, essentially restating information from a previously published [blog post](https://web.archive.org/web/20201127034309/https://www.startpage.com/blog/company-updates/startpage-and-privacy-one-group/) or posting the same response to different questions. People had to really dig to get answers and puzzle all information together, instead of getting a clearly explained and comprehensive answer from the start. Requests for clarification to some important questions went ignored.
+
+Because of the conflicting business model and the unusual way the company reacted, claiming to be fully transparent but being evasive at the same time, we have no choice but to de-list Startpage from our recommendations until it is fully transparent about its new ownership and data processing. Remaining questions include:
+
+- The % of Startpage and Surfboard Holding B.V. (the Startpage holding company) System1 acquired in December 2018.
+- The current % ownership by System1 at the time of the audit (and any other major owners).
+- Information about Privacy One Group Ltd. Where is it registered and in what city, state and country does it operate? (We have not been able to verify registration information.)
+- A diagram of data flows, including flows to outside organizations, like System1, Privacy One etc.
+
+This de-listing does not necessarily mean Startpage is violating its privacy policy. We have no evidence of that. But because there are still so many unanswered questions, we can no longer recommend the service with good confidence. If Startpage aims to be re-considered, they will have to answer the questions above, preferably along with an explanation of why it took them so long to get proper answers out to the public.
+
+Sincerely,  
+Blacklight447  
+*Privacy Guides*
+
+---
+
+**2020-05-03:** Startpage has answered all of our questions for them and has clarified their policies. We have decided to recommend their service again, and you can read our latest [announcement](relisting-startpage.md) for more details.
+
+**2023-10-23:** This post has been edited to reflect the team's move from [PrivacyTools](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/privacytools/) to Privacy Guides.

docs/posts/delisting-wire.md

@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+date: 2019-11-19
+categories:
+    - Software
+authors:
+    - danarel
+links:
+    - Real Time Communication: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/real-time-communication/
+    - Types of Communication Networks: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/advanced/communication-network-types/
+tags:
+    - Instant Messengers
+---
+# Delisting Wire From Privacy Guides
+
+!["Delisting Wire" cover image](../assets/images/delisting-wire/cover.png)
+
+It has recently come to the attention of the *Privacy Guides* team that **Wire**, the popular end-to-end encryption messaging platform [has been sold or moved to a US company](https://web.archive.org/web/20201128215737/https://forum.privacytools.io/t/wire-swiss-gmbh-is-now-owned-by-a-usa-holding-company/1932). After a week of questioning, Wire finally confirmed they had changed holding companies and would now be a US based company in a move they called “simple and pragmatic,” as they worked to expand their foothold in the enterprise market. This also came alongside the news that Wire had accepted more than $8 million in Venture Capital (VC) funding from Morpheus Ventures, as well as other investors.<!-- more -->
+
+Morpheus Ventures holds a [portfolio](https://web.archive.org/web/20201128215737/https://morpheus.com/portfolio/) including companies in healthcare, voice AI, life insurance, and retail customer data analytics: All sectors that have historically used invasive data collection methods to survive. Why would a VC with a portfolio centered on consumer data want to invest in a company whose mission claims to protect that very same information?
+
+Earlier this year, Wire announced they had entered a partnership with [FedResults](https://web.archive.org/web/20201128215737/https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/10/1880912/0/en/Wire-and-FedResults-Partner-to-Offer-End-to-End-Encrypted-Collaboration-Platform-to-Government-Agencies.html), in a move that would bring Wire's secure messaging platform to US federal agencies. This raised a few eyebrows, but did not alarm the privacy community as Wire remained Swiss based and beholden to Switzerland's strict privacy laws. Today however, while much of Wire's business will continue to be run out of their Swiss offices, with new US-based ownership it is not entirely clear how much jurisdiction the United States will have over Wire data.
+
+This is alarming because it is well known that Wire [stores unencrypted metadata](https://web.archive.org/web/20201128215737/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gvzw5x/secure-messaging-app-wire-stores-everyone-youve-ever-contacted-in-plain-text) for every user.
+
+In an interview with [TechCrunch](https://web.archive.org/web/20201128215737/https://techcrunch.com/2019/11/13/messaging-app-wire-confirms-8-2m-raise-responds-to-privacy-concerns-after-moving-holding-company-to-the-us/), Wire CEO Morten Brøgger said of privacy laws: “We are in Switzerland, which has the best privacy laws in the world” — it’s subject to Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation framework (GDPR) on top of its own local laws — “and Wire now belongs to a new group holding, but there no change in control.” [sic]
+
+Even if he is correct, the move and statement do bring up further questions. With Wire now being a US company with contracts partnering it with US federal authorities, will those authorities now have leverage to compel Wire to give up metadata on users? Wire has investors to answer to and will not be able to risk losing large deals with clients like the US federal government. This is of course a hypothetical situation, but one to be considered nonetheless as we decide which services to recommend on [*Privacy Guides*](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/tools/).
+
+Wire also quietly made an adjustment to its own privacy policy. A [previous version](https://web.archive.org/web/20180324221043/https://wire.com/en/legal/#privacy-7) of the policy (July 18, 2017) stated it would only share user data when required by law. Now (Updated September 1, 2018), it reads they will share user data when "necessary." What does necessary mean, and necessary to whom? Necessary to law enforcement, shareholders, or advertisers? The word "necessary" is an alarming change because "necessary" is purposefully vague terminology that could conceivably be used as a tool to justify any action. This change doesn't leave the user with much confidence as to when the company may share your data.
+
+Yet another red flag, and one of the more important ones to us, was is that Wire decided not to disclose this policy change to its users, and when asked why, Brøgger was flippant in his response, stating: “Our evaluation was that this was not necessary. Was it right or wrong? I don’t know.”
+
+We feel we do know, and the answer was that it was wrong. Privacy and security are not built solely on strong technology, but on trust. Yes, we can review Wire's open source code on GitHub, but we can't ever be sure that code is the same exact code that runs on their servers in practice. Yet, we have trusted them in the past because Wire had built a trustworthy reputation for themselves. We now feel that Wire has lost this reputation. By deciding to withhold information regarding its ownership and policies from its users, Wire has broken the trust our community has placed in it, and worse yet sounds almost dismissive of the worries voiced by the privacy community that had long held them in high regard.
+
+Because of these ongoing concerns, and this break in trust in Wire's organization, *Privacy Guides* has made the decision to remove Wire from its recommendations. It is worth noting that does not necessarily mean Wire is unsafe, but we believe it is our duty to recommend products that we as a team feel comfortable standing behind. We need to believe in the security, privacy, and integrity of our recommendations, and we no longer feel we can do that with Wire at this time.
+
+---
+
+**2023-10-23:** This post has been edited to reflect the team's move from [PrivacyTools](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/privacytools/) to Privacy Guides.

docs/posts/relisting-startpage.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+---
+date: 2020-05-03
+categories:
+    - Providers
+authors:
+    - contributors
+links:
+    - Search Engines: https://www.privacyguides.org/en/search-engines/
+tags:
+    - Search Engines
+---
+# Relisting Startpage.com
+
+!["Relisting Startpage" cover image](../assets/images/relisting-startpage/cover.png)
+
+Dear *Privacy Guides* Community,
+
+In October 2019, we learned that System1 had become the majority shareholder in Startpage.com via a new System1 subsidiary, Privacy One Group. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the acquisition and the initial lack of clear communication from the Startpage team towards the privacy community, we were forced to delist Startpage from our [search engine recommendations](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/search-engines/).<!-- more --> In an [explanatory blog post](delisting-startpage.md), we asked for more clarity surrounding the situation, stating:
+
+> ...there are still so many unanswered questions, we can no longer recommend the service with good confidence. If Startpage aims to be re-considered, they will have to answer the questions above, preferably along with an explanation of why it took them so long to get proper answers out to the public.
+
+Shortly after this, the *Privacy Guides* team was able to get an open line of communication with Startpage.com CEO Robert Beens, who vocalized his regret for not answering our questions more quickly and providing more clarity to the community from the start. From their perspective nothing fundamental had changed due to the acquisition, except that they would now have the resources to market Startpage efficiently thanks to System1. Unfortunately, Startpage failed to put themselves in the place of their users, and understand that their lack of transparancy at the beginning would erode the trust they shared with the privacy community.
+
+By December, Startpage had [responded](https://github.com/privacytools/privacytools.io/issues/1562#issue-531606344) to our questions. More recently they also clarified that [System1's privacy policy](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://system1.com/terms/privacy-policy) does not relate to Startpage; Startpage's privacy policy remains [unchanged](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://www.startpage.com/en/privacy-policy/):
+
+> Having a new shareholder in the company will not change any aspect of the privacy we offer. We are a Dutch company and will continue to be so, fully complying with Dutch and EU privacy regulations (GDPR). We don’t store or share any personal data. No change either. Our clear privacy policy will stay the same. Management / founders (including myself) continue to have an important stake in the company and will continue to be fully committed to our privacy mission!
+
+They also created new support pages clarifying the privacy implications of System1's relationship with Startpage:
+
+- [Startpage CEO Robert Beens discusses the investment from Privacy One / System1](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/1277/0/startpage-ceo-robert-beens-discusses-the-investment-from-privacy-one--system1)
+- [What is Startpage's relationship with Privacy One/System1 and what does this mean for my privacy protections?](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/1275/0/what-is-startpages-relationship-with-privacy-onesystem1-and-what-does-this-mean-for-my-privacy-protections)
+- [What is the Startpage privacy-guarding data flow?](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://support.startpage.com/index.php?/Knowledgebase/Article/View/1276/0/what-is-the-startpage-privacy-guarding-data-flow)
+
+Additionally, Beens joined an [interview](https://invidio.us/watch?v=h-3fW0w2ayg) with Techlore in February answering his questions and further questions from the privacy community.
+
+We prepared a [merge request](https://github.com/privacytools/privacytools.io/pull/1592) in December for relisting Startpage in case we decided to do so, but did not have plans to merge it until the whole team felt confident (which we knew would take time). 5 months later, we sync'd up as a team, and decided to re-list them (with a warning explaining these events) which you can now find on our website [here](https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100140/https://www.privacytools.io/providers/search-engines). Our confidence and trust in Startpage has grown, and we're appreciative of Startpage's cooperation and willingness to address the concerns of our community.
+
+We also hope this encourages any services that may end up being delisted for one reason or another to take action and improve themselves in this same fashion. We don't like delisting the services we've previously trusted and recommended, and we are always happy to see when steps are taken to regain community trust.
+
+---
+
+**2023-10-23:** This post has been edited to reflect the team's move from [PrivacyTools](https://www.privacyguides.org/en/about/privacytools/) to Privacy Guides.