Qwant and Ecosia debut Staan, a European search index that aims to take on Big Tech

In a significant move towards enhancing online privacy, European search engines Qwant and Ecosia have announced the launch of Staan, a new search index designed to pose a competitive challenge to industry giants like Google and Bing. This collaboration marks the culmination of a joint venture established last year, aimed at developing a search solution that prioritizes user privacy while remaining cost-effective. The initiative, known as the European Search Perspective (EUSP), has set ambitious targets, with the goal of handling approximately 50% of search queries in France and 33% in Germany by year's end. Qwant is integrating Staan into its platform, utilizing the index to enhance features such as AI-generated summaries for search results. Ecosia is also planning to introduce AI functionalities into its services in the near future. Staan is not only focused on traditional search but is also exploring partnerships to implement its index in various applications, particularly within chatbot technologies. Christian Kroll, CEO of Ecosia, emphasized the financial advantages of Staan, stating that it can deliver powerful search capabilities at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions. "If you’re using ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot, they all do knowledge grounding with web search. Our index can facilitate deep research and AI summary features at a tenth of the cost of Google and Bing," Kroll explained. EUSP aims to establish a European technological framework that minimizes dependence on U.S. or Chinese infrastructures. The urgency of this initiative is underscored by geopolitical events, highlighting the vulnerabilities Europe faces regarding its digital ecosystem. The companies assert that as European policies evolve, there is a pressing need for a search solution that aligns with the region's privacy standards, providing a more secure alternative to American tech giants.