Ahmia

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25 May 2025

Ahmia is a privacy-respecting search engine for publicly accessible Tor (.onion) websites. We explain in this policy what limited information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it—always protecting your anonymity. This Privacy Policy applies to all users of Ahmia, including its Tor and clearnet versions. For more details of functionality, refer to our Terms of Service.

1. Ahmia Does Not Process Personal Data

Ahmia does not store personal data, as defined by EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). If a user unexpectedly inputs personal data into the search field, it is not used to identify or track individuals.

Please do not enter personally identifiable information into search terms or send personal data via email unless absolutely necessary and only with your explicit consent.

2. No Tracking. No Profiling. No Cookies.

  • No IP addresses are stored.
  • No cookies are used.
  • No browser fingerprinting or local storage is employed.
  • No tracking pixels or analytics are used.
  • No user profiles are created.
  • No data is stored or accessed on your device.
  • No login or registration is required.
  • We never combine Ahmia usage data with other datasets to identify users.

3. Right to Erasure (Right to Be Forgotten)

Ahmia does not retain any identifiable user data. However, if you believe that a link indexed by Ahmia violates your privacy rights (e.g., links to harmful or defamatory content), you may submit a removal request under Article 17 of the GDPR.

Once we receive a valid request, we may process limited personal data to assess and respond to the request. We evaluate each case individually and may delist or lower the visibility of `.onion` URLs when justified under Finnish or EU law.

4. What We Collect and Why

Ahmia does not collect personally identifiable information. The following non-personal data is collected for academic research and service quality purposes:

  • Search terms submitted via the interface
  • Clicked links on Ahmia search results
  • Browser user agent
  • HTTP Referer header
  • Timestamps of requests

These logs do not contain IP addresses or other identifying information. They are used solely for academic research, search engine maintenance, and filtering improvements.

5. How We Use This Data

  • Data is stored without IP addresses.
  • Data is not sold or rented.
  • Data is only shared with trusted academic collaborators under research agreements.
  • Data is used for ethical and legally compliant academic research.
  • Data is used to improve automatic filtering and public safety (e.g., content moderation).

Ahmia supports peer-reviewed academic research. For example, data from Ahmia contributed to the publication titled “Investigating child sexual abuse material availability, searches, and users on the anonymous Tor network for a public health intervention strategy”, see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-58346-7

6. Updates to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated as our research and technologies evolve. The latest version will always be published on this page. All updates are recorded in a public GitHub changelog for transparency. Continued use of the service after changes implies acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

For privacy concerns, legal matters, or abuse reports, please contact Juha Nurmi at juha.nurmi@ahmia.fi. Please do not include sensitive personal data unless necessary.

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