26 Jan 2024 Search

(update 11 Sep 2026: clarify wording, specify no personalized ads)

  1. Anyone may use the search engine anonymously, or make a free account. Accounts may be personal or organizational. An organizational account must be verified with a DNS TXT record or a file under /.well-known.

  2. Account holders can use the hide site in results feature, other customization features, and the search API.

  3. Account holders can add an RSS feed to their profiles. Account holders agree to allow the club to use their customization choices like hidden and boosted sites, and RSS links, in aggregated form to improve search rankings. Account holders may list their trademarks in a /.well-known/ file, to prevent them from being used in a search ad. (See rule 7)

  4. An account holder whose RSS feed and hidden sites provide useful information may be invited to join as a member.

  5. Members, except nonprofit organizations, pay an annual fee. Individual members may vote for the board. All links in member RSS feeds are crawled. Member fees and categories (such as student and senior memberships and fees for extra API calls) are set by the board.

  6. Members may apply to become advertiser members. Advertiser membership applications are approved or rejected by a vote of all members, and approvals must pass with a 2/3 majority. Members also vote on the limit of total search ads to be shown, which may be zero.

  7. Advertiser members may bid to run search ads in a second-price auction on search terms. Search ads may not be personalized to the user, or target the name or any trademark of another member or account holder.

  8. Either the board or the members may vote to convert an advertiser member back to a normal member for any reason.

  9. Members may be suspended or expelled by the board. A suspended or expelled member may appeal to a vote of the full membership. A suspended member may use the search engine as an account holder.

  10. Excess funds after operating the search engine are donated to nonprofit member organizations whose sites are frequently returned in search results.