Microsoft and Qwant to drive a more private search experience

Microsoft and Qwant to drive a more private search experience
Qwant will leverage Azure while maintaining its own technology and algorithm for confidentiality of users

Elly Yates-Roberts |


Microsoft and French search engine Qwant have partnered to create a more private online search experience. Qwant will leverage Microsoft Azure while maintaining its own technology, algorithm and client infrastructure to ensure confidentiality of users. 

Qwant has developed a privacy feature for online searches that ensures users’ privacy, without collecting personal data while still improving the quality of search results and advertising. It will now use Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Advertising services and Bing’s algorithmic research to meet the growing demands of the European market. 

As such, Qwant will be part of the pre-filled options in future versions of the Edge browser. The search engine will also be able to use Microsoft technologies alongside its own for future projects, such developing an open source ‘trust platform’ for managing content and copyright in line with the European Copyright Directive.

“We share Qwant’s belief that privacy is a fundamental right of citizens,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and world president of Sales, Marketing and Operations at Microsoft. “This is the whole point of this partnership, which aims to make Qwant a leading search engine at European level, thanks to a unique Internet search experience.”

Like Microsoft News’ efforts to sustain journalism and publishing with its US$750 million donation to publishers since 2015, Qwant will donate at least 5% of its advertising revenue to French media companies. 

“Microsoft is a recognised world champion, Qwant is a responsible European start-up,” said Eric Léandri, president and co-founder of Qwant. “Together, we will continue to develop a European research engine that is ethical and sovereign. It is a win-win partnership. For Microsoft, for Qwant and for Europe.”

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