Rising search engine platform Luxxle is challenging Google by providing users with a new method to navigate the internet, allowing them to utilize filters based on their political leanings. “It takes an entirely different approach than any of the other search engines out there,” Luxxle.com spokeswoman Molly Koweek told USA Journal News. “Our approach is one that you won’t see with any other search engine. We offer far better results, unbiased results, superior privacy.” She added: “It’s just a much more enhanced experience and one that really puts the users in control.”
Luxxle’s unbiased approach is shown in the Top Stories section, with a mix of source size and political leaning. The concept is achieved through what are called “Lenses” where the searcher can filter content based on right or left-leaning outlets or get a mix of both. Also, the user can get the freshest content as well, all with the click of a button.
In addition, while Google’s top news results primarily feature left-wing mainstream media sources like CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, Luxxle features smaller content news and information sites as well as others that are just as heavily trafficked as the ‘mainstream’ sources but pushed down by Google’s algorithm because they feature conservative or alternative views and coverage.
Luxxle was conceived in 2018 by tech entrepreneurs who identified a gap in the perspective offered by traditional search engines, Koweek explained. Launched in 2022, Luxxle’s primary challenge in competing with giants like Google lies in building its name recognition, she noted. “Really just getting our name out there. When people think of the big search engines, they’ll use it as a verb. They’ll say, ‘I have to Google this,’” Koweek said. “It’s so ingrained in people’s minds that they think of that as the only option.” To overcome that obstacle, the search engine must consistently push for media attention and user growth.
“There is a need for a search engine that is unbiased, that doesn’t censor content, and as soon as people learn about us, they don’t go back,” Koweek said. When searching “trump verdict” on Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo, the “top news spots” presented to searchers were all left-leaning, according to a study conducted by Luxxle and shared with USAJ. “On Luxxle, 50% of the top 14 news spots are lean left and 50% are lean right,” said the study. “Then, with the lenses filters, you can decide if you just want to see content that leans left or leans right.”
She further explained that identifying whether a source leans right or left involves the use of various measurement tools. “Often, the sources will self-identify,” she said. “They’ll say, ‘Hey, we are a conservative publication.’ They’ll say, ‘Hey, we’re a liberal publication.’ So that makes it very easy. Other than that, we have a couple of different third-party providers we use to kind of check and see how they’re ranking these sources in terms of right and left.”
The search engine also puts a premium on user privacy, while Google has been frequently accused of only showing users data the company wants them to see and capturing user activity for its internal marketing and advertising purposes. Koweek also said that the search engine does not track or sell user information.
“American tech entrepreneurs who sought to bring a fresh perspective and make positive contributions to search created Luxxle. The technical team at Luxxle’s core is focused on technology and software development. The company is based in Bellevue, WA, and is 100% American-owned, operated, and financed,” says an information sheet provided by Koweek to USAJ.
“There’s nothing else like lenses in search,” Koweek said. “Let’s say you’re searching for something highly newsworthy, whether it be Biden, whether it be Trump, whether it be something happening in Congress … right at the top of your search, you’re going to see a box that says ‘lenses.’ You’ll have the option to only view sources through the left lens. That means you can only see sources that lean left. You can decide to only see sources through the right lens, which means only sources that lean right. Or, you don’t have to do that,” she added.
Koweek said Luxxle will become particularly helpful and useful with elections coming up. “In an election year, people need information. They need to know about the issues,” she said. “They need to know about the candidates, and they need to be able to trust that their search engine isn’t censoring them from that information.”
“Maybe your ideas might align with the big search engines. So, the sources that you’re seeing are in line with your general beliefs, but you can’t trust that you’re getting the full perspective. You’re only trusting that you’re getting the sources that are in line with your beliefs. With Luxxle, it’s an entirely different experience,” she added.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.