Startpage is a Dutch search engine company that highlights privacy as its distinguishing feature. The website advertises that it allows users to obtain Google Search results while protecting users' privacy by not storing personal information or search data and removing all trackers. Startpage.com also includes an Anonymous View browsing feature that allows users the option to open search results via proxy for increased anonymity. Startpage.com began as a sister company of Ixquick, a metasearch engine founded in 1998. The two websites were merged in 2016. In October 2019, Startpage received a significant investment from Privacy One Group, a subsidiary of System1. History Early history Ixquick was created in 1998 by David Bodnick in New York City. Initially, it provided metasearch for 14 different web and directory search engines as well as images, news, and MP3 engines. Results were sorted after evaluating how relevant each of the search tools found the query. Surfboard Holding BV, a company based in Zeist, Netherlands, and led by CEO Robert E. G. Beens, acquired Ixquick in 2000. Ixquick was re-launched on 23 March 2005 with new features including a redesigned metasearch algorithm. Startpage.com began as a web directory in 2002 and started mirroring Ixquick the following year. On 7 July 2009, the company re-launched Startpage.com to fetch results only from the Google search engine. Prior to the release of Tor Browser version 4.5 in April 2015, Startpage.com was its default search engine. Merger and recent history On 29 March 2016, Ixquick.com was merged into the Startpage.com search engine. As of 2017, Startpage fields an estimated 2 billion searches. The company was one of 200 European companies that opposed the F.C.C. implementation of policies ending net neutrality. In October 2019, Privacy One Group, owned by adtech company System1, acquired a majority stake in Startpage but, according to the company, its "founders may unilaterally reject any potential technical change that could negatively affect user privacy". By maintaining its headquarters and operations in the Netherlands, Startpage continues to be protected by Dutch and European Union (EU) privacy laws. In May 2020, Vivaldi announced that its browser had added Startpage as an optional or default search engine. Products On 27 June 2006, following criticism of Google Shopping, the website began to delete private details of its users. Ixquick stated that it does not share the personal information of users with other search engines or with the provider of its