{
  "slug": "swisscows",
  "category": "search-engines",
  "name": "Swisscows",
  "description": "Search engine from the Swiss company Swisscows AG that filters out adult content, does not use tracking cookies or build user profiles, and offers an ad-free paid tier.",
  "website": "https://swisscows.com",
  "license": null,
  "platforms": [],
  "jurisdiction": {
    "code": "CH",
    "name": "Switzerland",
    "eyes": null,
    "eu": false,
    "gdpr": true,
    "cloud_act": null
  },
  "pick": false,
  "pick_reason": null,
  "disclosure": null,
  "grade": "D",
  "score": 50,
  "coverage": 100,
  "summary": "Swisscows scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the search engines criteria. It meets 3 of 11 criteria: TLS configuration, no search history logs and no profile-based ads. It partly meets no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, transparency report and no account needed. It does not meet open source, independent audit, tells users about requests and security headers. It is based in Switzerland: Not in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes; GDPR-style data protection law. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade C-.",
  "url": "https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/swisscows/",
  "markdown": "https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/swisscows/index.md",
  "answers": {
    "open_source": {
      "title": "Open source",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "no",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "Closed source."
    },
    "no_trackers": {
      "title": "No trackers or telemetry",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "No tracking cookies, pixels or fingerprinting; anonymized usage data is stored in a self-hosted analytics system."
    },
    "no_ads": {
      "title": "No ads or data sales",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "Funded partly by text ads chosen from the search query and region, with an ad-free paid tier."
    },
    "independent_audit": {
      "title": "Independent audit",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "no",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "No independent audit is published."
    },
    "transparency_report": {
      "title": "Transparency report",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "The privacy policy describes how government requests are reviewed, but no request counts are published."
    },
    "user_notice": {
      "title": "Tells users about requests",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "no",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "No published policy on notifying users about data requests."
    },
    "tls": {
      "title": "TLS configuration",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=swisscows.com&hideResults=on",
      "note": "Grade A+"
    },
    "security_headers": {
      "title": "Security headers",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "no",
      "evidence": "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/observatory/analyze?host=swisscows.com",
      "note": "Grade C- (45/100+)"
    },
    "web_standards": {
      "title": "Modern web standards",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "pending",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "Not tested yet."
    },
    "no_search_logs": {
      "title": "No search history logs",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "Search queries are anonymized and not tied to user profiles; IP addresses passed to ad partners have the last octet masked."
    },
    "no_personalized_ads": {
      "title": "No profile-based ads",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "Ads are selected from the search query and region, not a profile."
    },
    "no_account_needed": {
      "title": "No account needed",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://swisscows.com/en/privacy",
      "note": "Search works without registration; Swisscows Pro and other extra features need an account."
    }
  },
  "tests": {
    "ssllabs": "A+",
    "observatory": "C-",
    "internetnl_web": null,
    "internetnl_mail": null,
    "trackers": [],
    "tested_at": "2026-10-01T07:13:47.295Z"
  },
  "last_modified": "2026-10-01T07:44:20Z"
}