Hi @stoxford I'm curious about the use case here for different search engines. Private windows will force a signed out state on your Google account, implying that your search history won't be stored on your Google account. Do you have specific concerns with default search engines in PBM if cookies are cleared and your account is signed out?
First of all, let me say that I realize that Mozilla is financially supported by Alphabet, so I am not proposing a change that would likely risk that funding.
I am proposing that, in the settings, users should be able to select default search engines independently for each of (1) normal mode and (2) private browsing mode. I support having Google as the default search engine for both modes at the time of application installation.
It is true that private browsing mode will block cookies and force a signed out state on your Google or Bing account, but it does not hide the client's IP address or host name. For home users, it is then trivial for a search engine to match up a search query performed in private browsing mode to a Google or Bing account that logged in from the same IP address in normal mode.
Private Browsing does not mask your identity or activity online. Websites and internet service providers can still gather information about your visit, even if you are not signed in.
In PHP, you can likely test this by creating a web page with $_SERVER[REMOTE_ADDR] and $_SERVER[REMOTE_HOST], then load it in both normal mode and private browsing mode. Alternatively, just go here in both normal mode and private browsing mode and see that both windows show identical IP addresses and machine names.
Using a privacy-focused search engine in private browsing mode while still using Google or Bing in normal mode is a relatively effective way to isolate sensitive searches without needing to deploy a full VPN. While it could mean that some users move away from using Google in private browsing mode, it could also persuade some DuckDuckGo users to move back to Google in normal mode. In my case, I tried moving over to DuckDuckGo entirely before deciding that I really prefer Google most of the time.
Your idea has received a great deal of votes (kudos) and support here in the Mozilla Connect community, so we are upgrading the status to “Trending idea.” This means it’s now one step closer to reaching our internal teams for review—learn more about The Idea Journey.
Please keep the conversation going and stay tuned for updates 😃