This has nothing to do with what search engine you're using. It collects data about what you type in the search/URL bar.
I now just have "Blank Page" set for my Homepage, new windows, and new tabs.
I just tried setting a local file in Firefox and it seems to work again, so I may go back to that.
I may have to simply use the URL bar with data collection opted-out, as I'd rather not bother with vetting and installing a custom open source extension to override the new tab behavior.