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Brave releases its own privacy-preserving image and video search

Brave releases its own privacy-preserving image and video search

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Brave Search users can now search for images and videos without being redirected to Google or Bing, though some advanced search capabilities are still absent.

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The Brave logo on an orange and black backdrop.
Brave Search will still redirect users to alternative services for more advanced image and video search capabilities for now.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Brave, best known for its privacy-focused web browser, is adding image and video search to Brave Search that now relies on the company’s own private index instead of Bing or Google. 

In a press release published on Thursday, Brave says this new image and video feature for Brave Search — the default search engine used by the Brave browser — is designed to preserve user privacy and be resistant to censorship. Certain capabilities like advanced filters for license type and aspect ratio will not be immediately available but will be added “soon,” according to Brave.

A screenshot of image results in Brave Search.
Now, any images retrieved while using Brave Search (as pictured) will utilize the company’s own index instead of relying on third-party APIs.
Image: Brave

“With the ability to search for crucial vertical categories such as images and videos directly within Brave, users can now access even more content than before,” said Brave in its press release. “Additionally, by keeping all searches within the Brave ecosystem, users benefit from increased speed and privacy when compared with the multiple search engines that rely on third-party providers.”

The previous image and video search functionality built into Brave Search relied on API calls to Google and Bing. Brave severed ties with all third-party APIs for Brave Search earlier this year, but the company had to temporarily redirect users to Google or Bing while it developed its own solution for image / video search.