Since Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal, people have become more aware of what information they are giving companies and advertisers, sometimes without their knowledge or consent. The number of data breaches also rose to a record high of 1,862 in 2021. More people are taking steps to protect their information, and one way some folks are doing that is by using the search engine DuckDuckGo.
DuckDuckGo has positioned itself as a privacy-focused alternative to search engines like Google. DuckDuckGo has rolled out Android and iOS mobile apps and browser extensions to help keep your information secure no matter if you use it on your phone or computer.
Here are five reasons why you should be using DuckDuckGo.
Stop online trackers from spying on you
Online trackers are everywhere on the internet. Princeton’s Web Transparency & Accountability Project found that Google trackers are present in about 75% of websites, and Facebook trackers are present in about 25% of sites. These trackers collect data like where you live, who you live with and what your reading habits are, to create targeted-ads to sell you stuff.
DuckDuckGo identifies and blocks these online trackers from sites like Google and Facebook. The search engine can also show you the networks that have tracked you over time to give you a fuller picture on how your data is being used.
However, DuckDuckGo came under fire in May after tracking scripts from the company’s partner, Microsoft, were found in DuckDuckGo’s search engine. Gabriel Weinberg, DuckDuckGo’s CEO, said this was due to the company’s partnership agreement and said DuckDuckGo is working to change this policy.
You’ll see fewer ads
When using DuckDuckGo you should see fewer ads overall.
If you run a search via Google, the results will likely show you a handful of ads — or an entire page — before you see something that’s not sponsored content.
When you search for something on DuckDuckGo, you’ll see fewer ads in your search results and save some time.
In addition to fewer ads on the results page, because DuckDuckGo blocks online trackers, ads won’t follow you across the web. If you use DuckDuckGo to search for something like a new food bowl for your pet, you won’t keep seeing ads for pet bowls on different sites. These ads don’t follow you around like said pet demanding you feed them despite having just given them food five minutes ago.
Websites should load faster
On top of causing ads to follow you around and collecting your data, online trackers also add extra data to websites you visit, slowing the website’s load time. DuckDuckGo blocks these trackers, frees up bandwidth and lets websites load faster.
Your search history isn’t stored
Let’s say you get into a debate with your significant other over which way the toilet paper should hang. You say it should hang under. They say the patent for toilet paper clearly has the toilet paper going over, making that the correct way. You look up the patent and find that yes, the toilet paper is hanging over. You sit in disbelief, and now your search history will forever shame you.
If you use DuckDuckGo, though, this blemish won’t show up in your search history because the search engine doesn’t save your searches. Each time you open DuckDuckGo is a fresh start, free from anything you may have searched for before.
A downside to this is there are no suggested search options. Also, if you want to look at something you saw previously you won’t be able to search for it in your history.
Google’s Incognito mode also keeps your search history private, too, but it does so by deleting your search history once you close the window. If you don’t close the window, it’s still stored. Incognito mode also still collects some of your information, like your location and search activity.
Your search results won’t be influenced by your browsing history
Google filters the results it shows you when you use it to search for something. Google shows you things related to your search it thinks you will click on based on the data it has collected on you. It doesn’t bother showing you results it doesn’t think you’ll click. This means if you try to look up a news story, you’ll likely see stories that lean towards what you’ve already read. These types of results could fuel what psychology calls confirmation bias, which is when people find information that supports what they already want to believe. However, in 2017 Google announced updates to its search quality guidelines to push offensive results and bogus conspiracy theories further down its search results.
DuckDuckGo will show you more robust search results. A DuckDuckGo and Google side-by-side to search for something like Facebook renders different results, which could influence your thoughts on the company. Presenting you with unbiased search results could give you a more complete picture of what you are searching for.
Because your search results aren’t tailored to you and your interests, search results can feel imprecise when compared to Google. Some DuckDuckGo users on Reddit have said they have used Google for some searches when DuckDuckGo gives them irrelevant search results. This sounds like a downside, but it ultimately means DuckDuckGo is working properly.
For more on privacy, check out how to use Apple’s lockdown mode, how safety check on iOS 16 can help abuse survivors and how your abortion searches could be used to prosecute you.
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