Robert E.G. Beens

Robert E.G. Beens is the CEO and co-founder of Startpage, and a recognized privacy expert and advocate. At Startpage, Beens oversees operations, product development, technology, and finance. Beens founded Startpage, formerly metasearch engine Ixquick, in 2006. The world’s first private search engine, Startpage was designed to give users more control and ownership over their data and the engine sees millions of searches per month. Based in the Netherlands, Beens has helped lead the global charge towards protecting consumer privacy. He was one of the first to understand the consequences of Big Tech data collection and profiteering on the Internet, and has built a profitable business without tracking, logging or sharing user search data.