Startpage started aggressively monetizing a few months ago. At least that's when I realized there are way more paid results (ads) than before. I've been mooching for years so I thought that's ok. Maybe the owner wants some return for their money and I can live with scrolling a few more paid results.

But they didn't stop there. I bailed as soon as they started requiring js no matter what. They actively deny access to the site without js enabled.

Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.