Swedish author and famous pro-Ukraine blogger Lars Wilderäng (Cornucopia) reports today that the Swedish security expert Karl Emil Nikka has revealed that Kagi is using the Kremlin propaganda tool Yandex as a backend for searches.
Wilderäng speculates this might mean search terms are leaking to Russia, while others worry about how Kremlin thus can get their talking points into western search results.
Security expert Karl Emil Nikka tells us that the search engine Kagi, popular among tech geeks, uses Russian Yandex, which was introduced after the full-scale invasion. This, of course, gives Russia the opportunity to look at what is searched for via Kagi.
Link (in Swedish), see 11:22 update: https://cornucopia.se/2024/10/uppdateras-ryssland-medger-bruk-av-c-stridsmedel-mot-ukraina-rysk-pilot-som-mordade-68-ukrainare-ihjalslagen-med-hammare-bland-de-allra-storsta-ryska-forlusterna-under-kriget-igar/
I expected something more shocking when I read “working with Russia”.
Kagi uses multiple search backends, and of course it needs to forward search terms to these backends. These backends probably can’t trace the searches back to the individual Kagi user though, but Yandex could still analyze search trends for example.
What’s worse is that - unless they use Yandex’ API for free - customers indirectly (and likely unknowingly) support a Russian company with their paid Kagi subscription.
Kagi should at the very least release a statement about this claim.
I am surpised yandex aint sanctioned tbh
Same, but it’s great for finding things US companies want taken down
probably because U.S government employees use its reverse image search for how good it is
Aside from reverse image search Yandex is wonderful for obscure things like software reverse engineering.
It’s not a fucking reveal, Kagi tells you exactly what engines they include in their results.
Do they? I remember seeing this in the past but can’t find the information anymore. Now they only say “all major search providers” and that was part of the criticism in this “reveal”. That they have become more opaque rather than being transparent about it.
This is all the official info I could find. Please share if anyone can find anything more. https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-details/search-sources.html
Yandex is a really good search engine 🤷♂️
Many of Yandex’s employees resigned in protest, accusing the company of serving as a tool of Kremlin propaganda and actively concealing information about the war.
Go search palestine or ukraine on google news and tell me if you see unbiased news 😉
Every search engine ever is biased in the results it will show you.
You have to learn the biases and not fall prey to them.
If you think you’re using an unbiased source then all you’ve done is failed to recognize them.
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Similar controversy when Kagi added Brave search.
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It’s more about the fact that kagi pays yandex and yandex pays taxes to one of the craziest goverment in the world
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Thats the thing… Do we know what kagi is sharing woth yandex or do we just trust they dont too much behond the query?
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I have to admit - coming from a lemmy.ml user, this made me chuckle.
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It’s more about it being a Marxist Leninist instance lol
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“we ban everyone who disagrees with our American political views”.
Just what???
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Maybe .ml has good moderation and you’re just insufferable.
They’re known specifically for being pro-Russia, which is what made the comment amusing.
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they are also worki g with the us 🙄
