Privacy and web search are in constant tension. Every time you type a query into a search engine you are handing over something valuable: a window into what you are thinking. Most people accept this trade-off without much thought. This post breaks down the real privacy risks at every layer of the search stack and explains exactly where Hister fits in. We will take a look at different privacy issues related to online search services, metasearch engines and opening search results. Then examining Hister's solutions to these problems. Privacy problems with web search Online search services Popular search engines like Google, Bing, and their derivatives are advertising businesses. Your search queries are the raw material. They are stored, profiled, cross-referenced with your browsing history, location, and demographics, and used to model your behaviour far beyond any single search session. The deeper structural issue is unverifiability .…