How much is our
data worth?
Digital / Concept / Campaign
As part of our campaign for Startpage, we did not only want to draw attention to the most private search engine in the world, we wanted to show as well why it is such an important service.
Startpage is a search engine with a special focus: on privacy and the protection of our data.
But how do we communicate the value of our personal information, in a world, where we got so used to giving it away for free?
By actually selling our personal information. In the first ever search history auction.


We partnered up with influencer Rafael Neugart, a famous influencer and prankster.
By putting his online search history on Ebay, we wanted to find out how much personal data is really worth.
The response was mind blowing.
Starting with 1 Euro, the bets kept going higher and higher, until it reached past 110,000 Euros in less than a few days. It was so insane, that Ebay itself decided to take our auction down for “excessive pricing and betting”.



Together with Rafael, we were able to show to a new audience how revealing and valuable their personal search history actually is.
Internet privacy became a hot topic in Germany. With over one million impressions and countless mentions on German and international media, we placed Startpage at the centre of the conversation. Brand awareness went up by 140% in the space of a month and it just keeps growing, turning Startpage into a synonymous of online privacy.
Watch here the original youtube video: