The search engine Ecosiaknown for funding tree planting with profits earned from advertisements, has announced the launch of its own browser.
We are talking about a cross-platform software, with versions available for Windows, Android, iOS e macOS. The browser is based on Chromiumwhich makes it aesthetically (and not only) similar to Google Chrome. According to Ecosia, however, this similarity can be a notable advantage, making any change less “traumatic”.
As is easy to imagine, the launch of this new program is also connected to the green philosophy of the German company. This was confirmed by all Michael Metcalf, chief product officer at Ecosia. The same, during an interview with TechCrunchstated how the browser is perceived as a further action towards sustainability.
The software offers several links to platforms such as Amazon, decathlon ed eBay which, through affiliation formulas, should encourage the collection of sources for the various projects carried out by the company. To give substance to this initiative, Ecosia has set itself the objective of generating 25Wh of clean energy daily every user who navigates with the browser.
Ecosia, here is the new browser: for now it is very similar to Google, but interesting innovations are expected in the future
During the interview, Metcalf acknowledged that Ecosia’s philosophy is to limit consumption. Despite this, he is well aware of how online shopping is an integral part of many people’s lives. For this reason, by relying on the affiliate program, the company offers the opportunity to reduce the impact of such actions.
Not only that: apparently the project is destined to evolve over time. In addition to improvements related to the interface, in fact, there is talk of a possible integration of a chatbot IA and to expand opportunities regarding software customization.
Ecosia is a search engine launched in 2009 which has gathered a user base of around 20 million users. This number is perceived by Metcalf as a solid base to be developed with initiatives, including the launch of the new browser.
It must be said that, even as a search engine, Ecosia is committed to renewing itself. After using Bing as a basis for searches, Google is now experimenting in some limited geographical areas. The good results, as well as in numbers, also had a concrete consequence: we talk about more than 200 million trees planted in 35 different countries.