PrivacyWall

PrivacyWall operates as a consumer-focused privacy company, positioning itself in the market as an alternative to major search engines that track user data. The company was co-founded by CEO Jonathan Wu and his brother, CTO Chris Wu. Jonathan Wu's background includes studying computer science at Stanford, a stint as a venture capitalist at Insight Venture Partners, and co-founding a successful ad-tech company with his brother. His inspiration for PrivacyWall stemmed from witnessing the extent of personal data collection by large tech companies, leading to a mission to give consumers control over their information.

The firm's core business revolves around its privacy-respecting search engine, which does not log or track user search histories. Its revenue model is based on displaying non-targeted, contextual ads; for example, a search for a product will show ads for that product without linking it to the user's personal profile or browsing history. The business targets a broad consumer base concerned with online data collection, as well as enterprises and government entities seeking to protect sensitive information.

PrivacyWall offers a suite of free products designed for comprehensive data protection. The flagship product is the search engine, which includes a feature called "PrivateView" that allows users to preview websites from the search results page anonymously, without revealing their IP address. This functions similarly to a built-in VPN for search result links. In addition to the search engine, the company provides browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. It also offers a standalone Windows desktop application that combines a browser with a firewall to block tracking at the operating system level across all applications. For mobile users, an Android app is available that integrates the private search engine with a browser featuring tracker-blocking capabilities. These tools are engineered to block third-party trackers, prevent ad-based profiling, and protect against the collection of data such as location, browsing history, and even typing patterns.

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