How Safari search engine extensions work
4 hours ago
- #Search Engines
- #Privacy
- #Safari
- Safari makes it difficult to use custom search engines not in its defaults, unlike Google Chrome.
- To use a custom search engine like Kagi in Safari, an extension is required, which uses a hack due to lack of API support.
- Safari extensions redirect searches via webNavigation API, causing the default engine (e.g., Google) to receive searches first, potentially compromising privacy.
- This setup prevents using the default engine for occasional checks, suggesting setting it to an unused option like Ecosia.
- A workaround using Little Snitch can block connections to the default engine to prevent search data leaks.