Brave Search introduces privacy-preserving image and video search index, reducing dependence on Google and Bing

Brave Search, the search engine developed by the creators of the Brave web browser, has unveiled its own image and video search index, moving away from its previous reliance on Microsoft's Bing search API for certain text search results. Users can still opt to use Microsoft Bing or Google Search for image and video searches, but now have the option to use Brave's proprietary index.

The company has expressed concerns over existing search methods potentially compromising user privacy, especially when sourcing results from social networks. To address this, Brave's new index has been designed to be completely private and anonymous, thereby extending privacy protections to image and video searches.

The update expands Brave Search's capabilities, allowing users to access a broader range of content by searching for images and videos directly within Brave. The integrated search approach offers benefits such as improved speed and privacy over using multiple third-party search engines. The new Brave Search API, inclusive of the new image and search index, is also available for third-party licensing. Despite potential limitations in delivering optimal results, Brave Search remains committed to providing robust search results with a focus on user privacy.