Tech.eu writes that Ecosia, the world's largest not-for-profit search engine, was recently launched and it is available both for desktops, but also for mobile interfaces, in the corresponding app stores.

By launching the Ecosia Browser, company officials aim to empower people to contribute to a better planet by searching for information on the internet. Founded by Christian Kroll in 2009, Ecosia originally launched a privacy-focused search engine, which does not store user data or create personal profiles.

Ecosia donates 100% of its profits towards making the planet a better place to live in and so far, it has collaborated with 35 countries to plant some 200 million trees.

Michael Metcalf, Chief Product Officer, Ecosia, said that "we've invested in solar energy for a number of years, currently at around 200 per cent of the energy usage for Ecosia searches. All clean energy, including the extra 25Wh per user, gets put back into the grid, crowding out fossil fuels."

Instead of just planting trees and hoping they grow fast enough to compensate for the generated emissions, which is usually the way carbon offsetting works, Ecosia collaborates with experts and local communities to find the proper tree species that can be planted and grown, contributing to healthier ecosystems.

"We don't plant monocultures. We grow biodiverse forests and have planted over 900 species in over 35 countries where nature and people need them most", Metcalf added.

While Brave and Firefox are other browses that value the user's privacy, Ecosia differentiates itself by offering "an in-built ad blocker that reduces the collection of user data and energy consumption. The lower energy consumption also extends battery life and consumes less electricity."

Ecosia aims to disrupt the current browser marketshare, of which 65% belongs to Google and 19% to Safari.