Scroogle

Scroogle was a Web service that disguises the Internet address of users who want to run Google searches anonymously.[4] Scroogle also gives users the option of having all communication between their computer and the search page be SSL encrypted.[5]

The tool was created by Google critic Daniel Brandt,[2][3] who was concerned about Google collecting information on users, and set up Scroogle to filter searches through his servers before going to Google. "I don't save the search terms and I delete all my logs every week. So even if the feds come around and ask me questions I don't know the answer because I don't have the logs any more," he said "I don't associate the search terms with the user's address at all, so I can't even match those up."[6]

Traffic has doubled every year and as of December 2007, Scroogle had passed 100,000 visitors a day.[7]

Besides anonymous searches, the tool allows users to perform Google searches without receiving Google advertisements. It supported twenty-eight languages,[8] and was available as a browser plug-in.

Scroogle shut down in 2012. Brandt blamed Google and DDoS attacks from others for the closure.