![]() If the point of DuckDuckGo is to remain more private while searching the web, it doesn’t make sense to have your search terms visible to anyone with access to your computer (or your network). As a result, your search term shows up in your history. When you search on DuckDuckGo, your search term is visible in the address bar of your browser. ![]() Users who want to search the web privately, but who are less technically adept, may assume they are protected when there is really a clear vulnerability in DuckDuckGo. This is especially true if you use Chrome for your browser. If your DuckDuckGo searches appear in your history, that means Google can access and track your searches even on this search engine. The expectation of private search engines is that they deliver on their privacy promises. This extra step makes privacy inconvenient, and the product less user-friendly. Privacy by design is essential, especially for privacy based products. However, privacy by design means that the most private settings are enabled by default. This may seem like a minor issue because users could just clear their history. That is not the case for DuckDuckGo and Google, which take you right back to the results you were viewing before. If you try to go to the links in your history, you will be returned to the search engine’s homepage. If any user, or person with access to my computer, can view my search history, there is a clear conflict with the privacy claims that DDG delivers.īy comparison, some other browsers don’t display search terms in your history. However, anyone with access to your computer can view your searches in plain-text in your browsing history. As a private search engine, DuckDuckGo gives the expectation of privacy. While DuckDuckGo may not track my searches or link them to my personal information, this is a clear lack of privacy. But more privacy is a good thing, across the board, even if it doesn’t quite protect you from all angles. However, he also endorsed the use of other data protection measures to create a complete privacy suite. Snowden explains that no privacy tool or system is perfect. ![]() Snowden endorsed the use of private search tools for their lack of tracking. DuckDuckGo, along with many other private search engines, saw a massive influx of users after Edward Snowden sparked general interest in privacy, specifically from government surveillance agencies. However as this post explains, it may not offer the protection from surveillance organizations that some think. Is DuckDuckGo Really Private?ĭDG may work well for reducing advertiser tracking, avoiding filter bubbles, and limiting data profiling. Your search terms, while they may be sent over your network in an encrypted form, show up in plain text in browsing history. However, there is one issue we discovered that raises privacy concerns. It is adamant about spreading privacy around the internet. Your activity while in Incognito mode can still be tracked and identified by search engines, so DuckDuckGo is a better choice for avoiding the limitations of that browser setting.Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.ĭuckDuckGo is a private search engine. It's also worth noting that DuckDuckGo is substantially more private than using Google with your web browser's InPrivate or Incognito mode. That makes the search engine a good choice for users trying to perform research on a topic that's easily influenced by political or cultural bias. DuckDuckGo provides the exact same search results to all users, rather than customizing your results based on your previous search history or personal preferences. DuckDuckGo, however, has a policy of not tracking its users – it doesn't collect personal information, use cookies, or capture your computer's IP address.īecause DuckDuckGo doesn't create a user profile, that means using DuckDuckGo helps you escape the "filter bubble" created by other search engines. Much of this information is provided to advertisers or passed on to other websites. Google and other common search tools (like Bing and Yahoo, for example) capture a lot of information about you when you perform a search. Though most people tend to use Google for web searches, DuckDuckGo is an alternative search engine that is favored by users who want to preserve their online privacy. ![]()
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