Search Roulette is an address field extension that allows you to send your searches to a random search provider every time. Break out of the filter-bubble where you rely on the search results from a single provider. Find new answers and avoid giving all your information to a single company.
Update (): Development of Search Roulette was discontinued in . Please switch to RandSearch instead.
The extension is no longer available for download, but you can still get the source code on GitHub.
Your motivations for searching with a different search provider all the time may vary. However, this extension will cover your needs. I just don’t want to grow too dependent or put all my trust in the search results from one company.
Features and usage
Type a dot and space in the address field followed by your search query to search using a random provider. For example, “. little big details”.
The random provider selection can be overwritten for a single search by typing the name of the desired search-provider followed by the search query. For example, “. bing star wars 7” to force the search using Bing.
All searches are sent encrypted directly to the search provider. No additional redirects or tracking. Everything is sent over HTTPS. The source code is open and simple to read, so this can be verified by anyone.
Future versions
The extension is built on top of the Chromium extension architecture, and the source code is available on GitHub. Assuming there’s any interest in the extension, these are my plans for future development:
- Customizable list of search providers
- A Google Chrome distribution
Update (): Please note that I don’t intend to maintain this extension in the future as I kind of lost interest in Opera. The source code is available under a permissive MIT License for anyone interested in updating it in the future.