In today’s digital world, most of your online activities are tracked, whether shopping, browsing, or scrolling through social media.
Companies use this data to target you with ads and other marketing efforts. DuckDuckGo, however, is on a mission to protect your privacy with its expanding suite of tools, including its privacy-focused web browser.
While other private browsers like Brave and Mullvad offer similar features, DuckDuckGo is positioning itself as a strong alternative to Google Search.
With mobile apps and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and beta versions for Windows and Mac, DuckDuckGo has become a more comprehensive privacy solution over the past few years.
Growing Awareness of Online Privacy
Public awareness of privacy issues has grown, especially after incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal. People are now more cautious about how much personal information they share online and are looking for ways to avoid being tracked.
As a result, DuckDuckGo’s browser and extensions have been downloaded more than 250 million times as of September 2023, a testament to the increasing demand for privacy.
What Makes DuckDuckGo Different?
DuckDuckGo originally launched as a search engine that promised not to track your online searches. Today, it offers much more, including paid services through its Privacy Pro plan, bundling a VPN, removing personal information, and restoring identity theft.
One key feature of DuckDuckGo is that it doesn’t track your search activity, whether you’re using its browser extension or mobile app. Unlike other browsers, like Chrome, which offers private or incognito modes, DuckDuckGo operates without tracking your activity by default. This means there’s no need to switch modes — it’s private all the time.
Additionally, DuckDuckGo automatically directs you to encrypted versions of websites when available, making it harder for others to see what you’re viewing online. While other search engines offer both encrypted and unencrypted options, DuckDuckGo simplifies the process by defaulting to a safer, encrypted connection.
Privacy Concerns and Microsoft Tracking
In May 2022, DuckDuckGo faced criticism when researchers found Microsoft tracking scripts in its browser. This raised concerns about DuckDuckGo’s commitment to privacy, but the company’s founder explained that Microsoft contractually obligated it due to its use of Microsoft’s Bing to power search results. Later, DuckDuckGo announced it would further restrict Microsoft trackers, continuing its mission to protect user privacy.
Aside from this incident, DuckDuckGo actively blocks external trackers from monitoring your online activity.
How Does DuckDuckGo Compare to Google?
DuckDuckGo takes a fundamentally different approach from companies like Google and Facebook, which generate revenue by targeting ads based on your data. While Google’s incognito mode clears your browsing history and cookies after you close all tabs, it doesn’t prevent Google or others, like your internet service provider, from tracking your online activity.
DuckDuckGo, on the other hand, doesn’t store your browsing data at all and blocks trackers as you browse, providing a more privacy-focused alternative to the mainstream search engines.
