Brave, the privacy-focused search engine and browser maker, has announced the launch of its independent image and video search engine. This move reflects Brave’s effort to distance itself from other search providers and offer a more comprehensive user experience within its platform.
Previously, Brave relied on Bing’s index for 7% of its query results. However, the company decided to develop its own image and video search feature, eliminating the need for users to leave the Brave browser to find relevant search results. The results will now be directly served from Brave Search’s own independent index.
Brave’s image and video search feature has been in development for several months and is now available through the recently launched Brave Search API. Prior to this launch, Brave offered the option to redirect users to Bing or Google for image and video searches. This temporary solution aimed to provide users with a familiar format while waiting for the completion of Brave’s own search index.
By integrating the image and video search within its ecosystem, Brave emphasizes the benefits of increased speed and privacy compared to search engines that rely on third-party providers. Furthermore, Brave positions this launch as a means to counter Big Tech censorship, referencing an incident where Microsoft Bing failed to show any images related to the Tiananmen Square tank man search.
Despite these notable enhancements, Brave acknowledges that its image search results are still being refined. As a result, certain advanced filters, such as license type or aspect ratio, will not be immediately available. However, the company assures users that these features will be added soon.
The Brave Search engine comes pre-installed as the default search engine in the Brave web browser, but it can also be used independently at search.brave.com.
Brave’s latest development aligns with its commitment to privacy and freedom of expression. By offering an independent image and video search engine, Brave ensures users can access search results without compromising their privacy or being subject to potential censorship.
