Kagi doesn't track you and built anonymous search tech. But US company, can be legally compelled, and Privacy Pass is optional. Paying for search genuinely fixes the incentive problem. But your credit card and email still link you to your account.
Police can demand location data for everyone near a crime scene
Spying
2/4 MODERATE
Is someone spying on me?
Data Sharing
0/4 N/A
Who gets my data?
Security
0/4 N/A
Is it actually secure?
Honesty
2/4 MODERATE
Can I trust what they say?
ACCEPTABLEModerate concerns. Standard privacy hygiene applies.
3Contradictions
0Critical
1High
2Medium
2Sources
Findings by concern
Spying2/4 MODERATE1 finding
⚡ highpolicy claims vs regulatory findings
Kagi doesn't track you and built anonymous search tech. But US company, can be legally compelled, and Privacy Pass is optional.
What they claim: Kagi search is completely private.
What we found: No ads/tracking/telemetry. Privacy Pass makes anonymous search possible. But: US jurisdiction. No published audit. 'Will comply with valid legal requests.' Privacy Pass optional.
Honesty2/4 MODERATE2 findings
⚫ mediumpolicy claims vs firmware analysis
Paying for search genuinely fixes the incentive problem. But your credit card and email still link you to your account.
What they claim: Paid model eliminates privacy conflicts.
What we found: $5-10/month from subscriptions. No ad infrastructure. AI deleted after 1 day. But: payment creates financial identity link. Email stored. Incentive alignment genuine but not absolute.
⚫ mediumfirmware analysis vs policy claims
Kagi built a system where even they can't tell who's searching. It works, but most people won't use it because it disables personalized settings.
What they claim: Privacy Pass provides technical anonymity.
What we found: Open-sourced, genuinely novel. But optional, disables account settings. Most users will use standard mode for convenience.