The Open Search movement has embarked on a long, exciting journey. Our goal is to create the next generation of Internet search. Understandably a project like this raises questions. We’ve already answered some of these and are happy to share the answers here. If you still have questions please send us an email at !
What’s the problem anyway?
The importance of the Internet and the digital sphere as a whole has increased massively in recent years. Hardly any part of our lives can do without digital content. The free, open and uninfluenced orientation in the digital world, as in the physical world, is a prerequisite for the free development of personality, knowledge, economy and much more. In the digital search today we rely on individual network monopolies that do not allow us any insight into their search algorithms and data pools. This opens the door to intentional or unintentional manipulation and misuse. We cannot and must not accept this in the long run.
Why is an open, free Internet search so important?
Data is the most important raw material in the information age.
An open and free Internet search enables neutral, transparent and unrestricted access to data, information and knowledge. This is a fundamental right for all European citizens. It is a prerequisite for a competitive European information economy, since it guarantees free access to Internet services and fair competition.
However, access to data and information on the Internet is currently almost exclusively possible via network monopolies, which provide information depending on their economic or political interests. There are only four major search engines in the world based on a proprietary web index: Google, Bing (USA), Baidu (China) and Yandex (Russia). Europe, on the other hand, does not have its own comprehensive web index. More than 90 percent of us Europeans use Google’s services when searching the Internet.
What is a search index? And why is it so important?
A web index is an inventory or a kind of index of all information and documents that are accessible via the Internet. It makes it possible to search the Internet quickly. Without it, a search engine would have to completely search the web with its billions of pages for every query – that would cost far too much time. A web index is therefore the basis for search engines – but it is not the same as a search engine.
You can imagine a web index as a file in a library. With it one can find the suitable books to a special topic fast. In the Internet the Web index is a list of all web pages, pictures, videos, documents and other contents, which are accessible over the Internet.
Due to the high dynamics in the Internet the index must be constantly updated, so that it contains also newly provided web pages and content. The so-called web crawlers are responsible for this. These are programs that automatically “crawl” from website to website and index the contents of the pages visited.
Saving and updating such a large index is very time-consuming. Therefore you need either a very, very large computer centre or, and this is the plan of the osf, a network of many small ones who share the task.
Do you want to become the European Google?
No. We want to enable the next generation of Internet search and Internet market.
With no profit in mind, we want to help build an open, free and distributed Internet search infrastructure in and for Europe – and perhaps beyond.
Cooperation, not money, is the driver for building this public infrastructure.
The best ideas for using this infrastructure will massively improve consumer choice and diversity in digital services.
Why do you think that you can achieve something
that many others before you have not achieved?
First, the time is ripe: more and more people are realizing how network monopolies are spreading, namely by collecting our personal data and using it to steer us with targeted information. More and more people are expecting an alternative.
Secondly, cooperation beats monopolies: if you work together in a network of experts and interested parties, public institutions and private companies, you will be more successful in the long term than a monopoly. This also applies to the network and information industry.
Thirdly, transparency will prevail: Transparency and openness in the search logic are prerequisites for being able to determine the search result. This freedom in Internet search is becoming increasingly important and in demand.
Isn’t this a matter for the state?
Today, the major search engines and their underlying web indices are all controlled and operated outside Europe. Access to digital information is an important strategic asset for the public sector. In this respect, it is right that an open, European web index should be a public matter. The aim of such a project must be to create a new and open digital infrastructure on which a variety of competing services can be built, so that a diverse digital market can emerge in Europe.
However, only a few have such a public project on their agenda – also because everyone only knows the commercial and supposedly “free” model. Therefore, there is still much to be done to promote support at political and state level. One of the aims of the Open Search Foundation is to show and set in motion the possibilities for developing and establishing a public and distributed Internet search. We are already talking to various representatives from politics, business and society about this.
How should public moderation work?
You can imagine it a bit like Wikipedia: A whole encyclopedia was and is compiled here through the joint work of the net community. At a relatively low cost, based on collective knowledge and with the additional editorial work of a small group of employees. Even in the case of open Internet search, the database structures, thematic questions and indexing and search algorithms are co-designed and checked by specialist groups, libraries, science centres and the public. Thus, this infrastructure becomes a public European good in the best sense of the word.
Is osf a non-profit organization?
Yes, the Open Search Fondation is registered as a non-profit Association.
Compliance with the statutory requirements according to §§ 51, 59, 60 and 61 AO was determined separately by the Fürstenfeldbruck tax office (Germany). According to our statutes, we promote science and research in the field of open and free Internet search (§52 Paragraph 2 Sentence 1 No. 1 AO).
How can I donate?
You can transfer any amount to our donation account. From 50 Euro we will gladly issue a “donation receipt”, if you state your name and address in the intended purpose.
We are currently working on further ways and possibilities to send donations to us.
We will use your donations for information campaigns, workshops, projects and the many small tasks which arise in our work:
Donation account:
IBAN DE33 7025 0150 0029 1295 25
BIC BYLADEM1KMS
Kreissparkasse München Starnberg Ebersberg
