How does the European Search Perspective (EUSP) partnership between Qwant and Ecosia aim to build its index and what privacy safeguards are promised?
Executive summary
Ecosia and Qwant’s European Search Perspective (EUSP) — and the operational index now being called Staan (Search Trusted API Access Network) — is being built as a European, privacy-first alternative to U.S. search infrastructure by crawling, indexing and serving web, news and image results from EU-based systems and by making that index available to both partners and third parties [1] [2] [3]. The partners pitch the project as a sovereign data pool for AI and search that reduces dependence on Google/Microsoft and can scale by accepting outside investment, while promising “privacy-first” architecture and EU data‑protection alignment, though public reporting provides few technical details about specific privacy mechanisms [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. How EUSP says it will build the index: a European crawl, ranking and shared infrastructure
EUSP intends to develop its own search index — the back‑end database of links, rankings and metadata — by operating infrastructure in Europe, starting with the home countries of Qwant (France) and Ecosia (Germany), and returning web, news and image results directly from EU‑based servers [4] [3] [2]. The venture is positioning that index as a reusable asset: both Ecosia and Qwant will use it, other independent search engines and AI firms will be able to access it, and the data can serve as a secure basis for European AI product development and training [4] [6] [5].
2. Phased rollout and product positioning: start local, scale to a European alternative
Announcements make clear the rollout is incremental — focused initially on French and German results and markets with plans to expand coverage — with Ecosia already routing some French traffic through the new index and targeting stepped increases over 2025 [3] [8] [9]. The stated strategic objective is not to “topple Google” overnight but to build digital sovereignty, offer plurality in ranking priorities (e.g., promoting sustainable travel options), and provide an independent source for generative AI features built on a European index [10] [11] [2].
3. Business model and governance: shared ownership, outside investment, and reuse
EUSP is a 50/50 joint venture headquartered in Paris with ownership equally split between Ecosia and Qwant, but it deliberately sits outside Ecosia’s steward‑owned model so the company can raise external capital for scaling [5] [4]. That for‑profit structure opens the door to investor funding, while the venture promises to make its index available to other companies rather than locking it into a proprietary stack [1] [12].
4. Privacy claims: “privacy‑first” language, EU data residency and regulatory alignment
All official messaging emphasizes a “privacy‑first” index, EU data residency and compliance with EU data‑protection rules, positioning the index as designed to safeguard user privacy and avoid the tracking and resale of personal data associated with some large incumbents [4] [2] [3]. Qwant’s own privacy positioning is explicitly invoked in coverage, and the project stresses that results come from European systems to ensure legal and technical alignment with EU frameworks [7] [6].
5. What’s promised — and what remains unspecified in reporting
While multiple sources repeat the privacy‑first claim and EU‑based operation [1] [4] [2], public reporting and the partners’ announcements do not provide granular, auditable detail on key technical safeguards such as whether queries will be anonymized, whether any logging will occur and for how long, exact data‑handling practices for third‑party API consumers, or the cryptographic and operational protections around the index [1] [6] [5]. Journalistic accounts also note that both firms will initially continue other back‑end partnerships, signalling a hybrid, not immediate full replacement of prior dependencies [5] [3].
6. Hidden agendas and competing narratives to watch
Beyond privacy rhetoric, the venture serves strategic commercial aims: reducing reliance on U.S. providers, creating a European alternative that can be monetized and scaled with external capital, and providing ground for AI products — all attractive to investors and regulators alike [7] [11] [12]. Observers should weigh corporate growth incentives alongside the privacy narrative, since the ability to monetize syndicated index access could shape technical and policy choices over time [5] [6].
7. Bottom line: credible intent, limited public technical transparency
EUSP/Staan presents a credible, Europe‑focused effort to build an independent, privacy‑oriented index and to supply that index to Ecosia, Qwant and other European tech players, promising EU residency and regulatory alignment while enabling third‑party access and investor funding [1] [4] [6]. However, current reporting aggregates high‑level promises rather than publishing the detailed, auditable privacy designs or operational commitments that would allow independent verification of the “privacy‑first” claim; those specifics remain to be disclosed or confirmed [1] [5] [3].