About Us :: Our Story




Our Story

We were dismayed with how search engines were tracking users, and thereby violating user privacy for their corporate bottom line (greed): to maximize their capital return for their owners, shareholders, and stockholders. Not right! We created and developed Magelln to return privacy to the hands of users who use our services to search the web, and discover the world. Searching the way it should be. Not seeing our users (partners) as bank machines with dollar signs in our eyes and pocketbooks. Allowing our users to search privately.

We hit the ground running. We have three(3) projects on our immediate to-do list to take Magelln to the next level:

  1. We have started to explore an in-house search engine. We already have access to 250-300 billion pages to start. We will be developing a crawler (Maggie Bot) which is expected to add 3-5 billion pages every month. This will ensure your absolute privacy. No more results pulled from a third party like Google.
  2. Design of a proprietary web browser. No more need to use a third party browser like Firefox, Safari, Edge, and certainly not Google's Chrome. A fully functional web browser to safely and privately explore the web. No tracking. This too will fully protect your privacy. Browse, but not be browsed by anyone, including us! FREE.
  3. Design of a Magelln iOS and Andoid mobile app. FREE.
Unlike other search engines, Magelln will not create personal profiles, or serve targeted ads based on your search behavior. Answers to questions like (1) who you are, (2) where you are located, (3) why you are browsing, and for what, and (4) when you conducted your search are neither stored or shared. That information belongs to you, and stays with you! We will not follow you. That is our promise, and that is the core principle of Magelln: the fundamental purpose that serves as the foundation of Magelln.

DJ Abrams
DJ Abrams
Magelln Founder and CEO



Your Privacy

  • We will protect your privacy, and we will never share, trade, or sell your information with or to any third parties. Besides, we have little data to be of any value in this regard or in any other regard.
  • We have no log of what you are searching for. Our search relies on the Google Programmable Search (formerly Google CSE or Custom Search Engine). We use the CSE JavaScript API. It is an browser-side API, rather than server-side API. We do not collect any search related user data.
  • On our end, we do collect user data (IP address and activity), but not related to searches. This is for security, and for us to monitor traffic.
  • Your activity may be tracked by Google via our Google Translate app. However, the app is not enabled by default. You can enable Google Translate via Preferences.
  • As far as the Google CSE app, Google can track your activity and searches. You can block this and the others by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). A VPN protects its users by encrypting their data and masking their IP addresses. This hides their browsing activity, identity, and location, allowing for greater privacy and autonomy. Anyone seeking a safer, freer, and more secure online experience could benefit from a VPN. Most browsers, like Firefox, offer a built-in VPN or as a third party extension.
  • Any little user information we do have, we will not release any information to any outside third parties. The only exception is if a court has jurisdiction in British Columbia, Canada, and has ordered a search warrant, and served us with the warrant. Even in this case, we will dispute and challenge the warrant. If we lose and fail in appeal, we will comply. However, with that said, we have no substantive data which would be of any evidentiary value to anyone.
  • Magelln prepping to launch a web crawler (spider or robot): Maggie. Maggie is expected to add 3-5 billion pages every month. We will initially have over 250 billion pages when we launch. We will be an official search engine. Yet, private and secure unlike the competition!

This is part of your 'Bill of User Rights' with Magelln. We take this very seriously!

You all have the same name and location: Anonymous in Anytown, Somewhere. Search Differently. Search Privately.




Our Maggie

Little about Maggie, the Penguin Mascot of Magelln Maggie is our mascot, a Magellanic penguin from the southern tip of South America. From her home, she overlooks the Strait of Magellan (or as she calls it, Estrecho de Magallanes).

Why a Magellanic penguin? Because we are Magelln, named in honor of Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer and navigator, who circumnavigated the globe. Magellan, in a sense, was the first worldwide surfer. Just as he discovered, searched, and mapped the world for others, we are doing the same in the digital age nearly six hundred years later.

Therefore, we put out a casting call for mascots. Maggie was one the first to walk though our doors to audition. We were enthralled by her presence and wry sense of humor. Completely unscripted. For example, we asked Maggie what brought her here, to which she replied, "I just flew into town, and boy are my arms tired! Seriously, a 747. I'm a flightless bird, you know." We quickly and unanimously selected Maggie as our mascot. And, we haven't looked back. Here is a little about Maggie from Maggie herself:


Name: Maggie. I was named by my parents in honor of Ferdinand Magellan. They dropped the second 'A'. Why? They didn't want people to confuse me with a bearded man in a dress wearing stockings. Could have been worse, They could have named me Ferdinand! Or, Ferdifsandbuts.

Age: Don't know. Penguins are notoriously bad at keeping track of time or following calendars. For that reason, we are usually tardy, if we show up at all.

Height: 28 inches tall. 32 inches in heels. Wanna make something of it!

Weight: 12.5 pounds. I'm a real size zero, girls!

Favorite Foods: Cuttlefish, squid, krill, and other crustaceans. Or at least, that is what the marine biologists will tell you. Personally, I prefer pasta dishes, with a love for lasagna.

Favorite TV Shows: Any show which features one or more penguins as the lead characters. So, none - yet!

Favorite Movies: March of the Penguins for one. Although that movie features emperor penguins, and as everyone knows, they are so full of themselves. Another is Penguins of Madagascar. However, those penguins hail from another continent - and they rarely reply to our emails or text messages. Finally, any movie featuring Daniel Craig as he looks so damn good in a tux!

Favorite Song: I'm a Little Penguin (in the tune of 'I'm a Little Teapot'):

I'm a little penguin
Black and white.
Stout and fluffy
What a sight!

I can't fly
but I love to swim.
So I'll waddle to the water
and dive right in!

Pet Peeve: Being pushed over. Come on guys, we all have seen enough video of penguins being pushed over, and taking forever to right ourselves.

That's all for now. It's difficult and tedious to type with wings. Besides, time to dive in . . . to some lasagna.

Maggie
Maggie
Magelln Mascot and CEP (Chief Executive Penguin) and future CEC (Chief Executive Crawler)
Not a Founder, but love flounders. Tasty, yum.

And, before we forget, Maggie will be our official web crawler when we launch our in-house search engine. Maggie is expected to add 3-5 billion pages every month. We will initially start with 250 billion pages. Maggie will be very busy 24-365, but still always available to her fans.


Last Revised: 2024-09-13 01:36:18 GMT