DuckDuckGo App and Extension Upgrades Offer Privacy 'Beyond the Search Box' (theverge.com)

An anonymous reader quotes the Verge: DuckDuckGo is launching updated versions of its browser extension and mobile app, with the promise of keeping internet users safe from snooping "beyond the search box." The company's flagship product, its privacy-focused search engine, will remain the same, but the revamped extension and app will offer new tools to help users keep their web-browsing as safe and private as possible. These include grade ratings for websites, factoring in their use of encryption and ad tracking networks, and offering summaries of their terms of service (with summaries provided by third-party Terms of Service Didn't Read). The app and extension are available for Firefox, Safari, Chrome, iOS, and Android.

The ability to block ad tracking networks is probably the most important feature here. These networks are used by companies like Google and Facebook to follow users around the web, stitching together their browsing history to create a more accurate profile for targeted advertising.
DuckDuckGo calls it "a major step to simplify online privacy," adding that without it, "It's hard to use the Internet without it feeling a bit creepy -- like there's a nosey neighbor watching everything you do from across the street."

Comments

DuckDuckGo's promise

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

is just that: a promise. At the end of the day, DDG is a free service: where the hell do you think they generate revenues from? I want to believe their concern for privacy and their offer to help are genuine. But ultimately they drink from the same well as Google and their ilk

So thanks but no thanks. I'll take care of my own privacy with Noscript, Open Referer Control, uBlock Origin, User-Agent Switcher, Ghostery, Cookie Autodelete, Greasemonkey, Tor and all the others thank you very much.

Re:DuckDuckGo's promise

[93 Escort Wagon]

I'll take care of my own privacy with Noscript, Open Referer Control, uBlock Origin, User-Agent Switcher, Ghostery, Cookie Autodelete, Greasemonkey, Tor and all the others thank you very much.

The irony here is these are also all “free services”, not so different from DuckDuckGo. Have you personally done a code audit on each one?

DuckDuckGo sells clearly-marked ads - they tell you that, and they ask (but do not require) that you whitelist their site so they can make some money on serving you search results. I can live with that.

Re:DuckDuckGo's promise

[Gravis Zero]

At the end of the day, DDG is a free service: where the hell do you think they generate revenues from?

You need a history lesson.

How does it make money?

While many websites and search engines collect data on you to sell to advertisers, DuckDuckGo takes a different approach – keywords.

"If you type in 'car' you get a car ad, if you type in 'mortgage' you get a mortgage ad," Weinberg said. "We don't need to know about you or your search history to deliver a lucrative ad." Weinberg added tht DuckDuckGo doesn't need "a lot of adverts" to make money and keywords are all it needs.

With a whooping 45 employees, it doesn't take much money to keep the site going.

Re:DuckDuckGo's promise

[rtb61]

DuckDuckGo are just serving reality, unlike the marketing lies of Google. Reality is marketing should always target content and never the user. The user searches for content and that content should then be targeted with aligned content. This allows marketing to be ahead of user purchasing decisions, rather than pretending by targeting ads after user purchasing decisions.

Google were really quite scammy, targeting advertisers and convincing them, that Google could control end user by targeted marketing, the advertisers never realised they were the ones being hit with targeted advertising and empty promises, they paid through the nose for.

DuckDuckGo delivers a far better search experience, much like it was switching from MSN&Alta Vista to Google, all those years back, now it's switching from Google to DuckDuckGo as Google became more user abusive and controlling, demanding the right to control your politics.

Re:DuckDuckGo's promise

[hairyfeet]

The problem I've found with targeted advertising? Just forget the privacy implications or any of that but just look at the concept itself...it just doesn't work at selling you anything, it just annoys the hell out of you!

I'll use myself as an example, when all the "OMG targeted adverts OMG!" thing hit I decided to see what it was all about so I left all adblocking of the box I use at work? Result? They sold me exactly ZERO PRODUCTS when compared to those that simply based their ads on what type of site it was! I did some searching for a laptop BATTERY for a customer, not new laptops, not cases, just a battery for his older unit...did they give me ads for new batteries? Anything that would actually be useful even for that laptop like a case or power adapter or anything that made sense? Nope it was "ZOMFG we got NEW LAPTOPS HERE buy buy buy!" and that was FOR MONTHS, long after I had stopped searching for anything to do with a damned laptop!

Now when you compare it to the sites I went to that did NOT use targeted but simply went by the site I was on, like a tech site having an ad with sales on RAM or an article abut GPUs having GPU sales or a music site having sales on things like strings and amps? They actually gained some sales because it was simply common sense, if I'm looking at a review on RAM then, shock surprise, I might actually be looking for some RAM! But the ones that targeted? They are trying to sell me shit that I looked for ages ago and have already moved on so they had ZERO chance of selling me a damned thing because I had already bought what I searched for ages ago!

So at the end of the day not only do targeted ads invade your privacy but frankly they just do not work because they only care about what you did yesterday, not what you are looking for now or even what site you are on.

Re:Isn't DDG based in Russia?

[afc_wimbledon]

20 Paoli Pike, Paoli, Pennsylvania, United States. So no, unless you think Putin owns Trump, and by extension...

Re:Reinventing the wheel

[Anonymous Coward]

You can already the ability of everyone to track you using a conventional adblocker

Why do you words ?

Re:Isn't DDG based in Russia?

[93 Escort Wagon]

Even if Putin does somehow “own Trump”, that doesn’t mean he also controls every American-based business. And Trump has a slightly more adversarial relationship with his own country’s spy agencies, compared to the former KGB intelligence officer.

Re:Isn't DDG based in Russia?

[afc_wimbledon]

Quite possibly. But DDG is clearly not "based in Russia".

Re:Isn't DDG based in Russia?

[93 Escort Wagon]

Certainly -I’m not meaning to argue with that statement.

I think the idea the DuckDuckGo is “Russian” comes from the fact that they currently use Yandex’s search results as one of their primary sources.

The thing about DuckDuckGo

[OneHundredAndTen]

In a nutshell, the problem with DuckDuckGo is that it sucks. Or at least it did, a few months ago, when I used as my only search engine for two weeks. In the end, I had to go back to Google - they are just on an altogether different level. I really hope that DuckDuckGo will improve, and will eventually become comparable to Google. It is not there yet.

Re: The thing about DuckDuckGo

[crmarvin42]

I use it as my default engine, and use Google as my fall back if DDG fails. It gives DDG the chance to be âoegood enoughâ, letâ(TM)s me find what I need when it isnâ(TM)t, and denies Google most of my everyday searches. It doesnâ(TM)t need to be the best to be worth using. I end up back at google infrequently unless Iâ(TM)m needing to find scientific writing.

Re: The thing about DuckDuckGo

[93 Escort Wagon]

I do the same thing you’re describing.

I will add that, in my experience, when DuckDuckGo doesn’t deliver what I want... generally Google also fails to do so nowadays. Frankly, I think Google’s search is not as good as it once was - people have finally figured out how to consistently game it.

Re:The thing about DuckDuckGo

[ASCIIxTended]

In a nutshell, the problem with DuckDuckGo is that it sucks. Or at least it did, a few months ago, when I used as my only search engine for two weeks. In the end, I had to go back to Google - they are just on an altogether different level. I really hope that DuckDuckGo will improve, and will eventually become comparable to Google. It is not there yet.

I've tried DDG a few times and always go back to Startpage.com for the same reason.

Re:The thing about DuckDuckGo

[iamhassi]

In a nutshell, the problem with DuckDuckGo is that it sucks. Or at least it did, a few months ago, when I used as my only search engine for two weeks. In the end, I had to go back to Google - they are just on an altogether different level. I really hope that DuckDuckGo will improve, and will eventually become comparable to Google. It is not there yet.

I disagree. I started using DuckDuckGo after google asked employees for their opinions and then fired that guy when he offered suggestions on how to get more women into IT. I find DuckDuckGo's results to be at least as good as google if not better because it has fewer spammy sites. Only place DuckDuckGo fails is local search, like if you're trying to find out what time your local Taco Bell closes it doesn't bring up local searches as first, it would give you the corporate website.

I'm pretty happy not being a Google sheep anymore

Re: The thing about DuckDuckGo

[Ol Olsoc]

I do the same thing you’re describing.

I will add that, in my experience, when DuckDuckGo doesn’t deliver what I want... generally Google also fails to do so nowadays. Frankly, I think Google’s search is not as good as it once was - people have finally figured out how to consistently game it.

Pretty much this. I'll try Google if no joy with DDG, but my experience since changing over to DDG is that Google returns more but less useful results.

Re: The thing about DuckDuckGo

[crmarvin42]

I agree that Googles quality has fallen. Lots of results on page one missing the first word in my search term, Lot of SEO garbage no one actually wants, etc. My biggest gripe is how they've managed to break the "Back" button. Use google to fine a page, click to it, decide to back, but the "Back" button just reload the current page because when you clicked on a google link it actually loaded 2 pages sequentially. Happens almost every day at work (where DDG isn't an option).

Re: The thing about DuckDuckGo

[pots]

I still do better with Google results most of the time, but I get those from Startpage when I need them. DuckDuckGo mostly returns Bing results, Startpage mostly (exclusively?) returns Google results, and between the two of them I can find whatever I need.

Re:Russiaphobic racism taken to new heights (lows)

[iamhassi]

It is quite funny to see Russians become the "bad guy" again. After 30 years of not hearing a peep from Russia, some news agencies suddenly reported Russians took over our election and got Trump elected. Arabic country or even China would make more sense, but Russia? It's like a corny movie or video game plot.

Re:Russiaphobic racism taken to new heights (lows)

[BlueStrat]

It is quite funny to see Russians become the "bad guy" again. After 30 years of not hearing a peep from Russia, some news agencies suddenly reported Russians took over our election and got Trump elected. Arabic country or even China would make more sense, but Russia? It's like a corny movie or video game plot.

"Red Donkey Dawn"

[rimshot]

Thanks, I'll be here all week. Remember to tip the veal and try the waitresses!

Strat

Re:Russiaphobic racism taken to new heights (lows)

[Ol Olsoc]

It is quite funny to see Russians become the "bad guy" again.

What race is Russian?

Re:Russiaphobic racism taken to new heights (lows)

[dryeo]

Russia started being the bad guy again about 5 years back, mostly over the Ukraine and the attempts by the west to militarize it and Russia responding about 4 years back by annexing the Crimea.
The Russians meddling in the American election follows the west, mostly represented by America meddling in, or at least doing actions that the Russians perceived as, meddling in the border states of Russia. After being invaded a few times and losing 10's of millions of people the last time, Russia is somewhat paranoid.
America is similar, almost destroying the world when after putting missiles on the Turkish border of the USSR, the USSR retaliated by putting missiles in Cuba and I'd guess America would react pretty strongly if Russia seemed to be gaining too much influence in Canada or Mexico.

Re:Isn't DDG based in Russia?

[AHuxley]

Expecting useful results from a US search engine that deranks for US party political reasons might be something to consider when searching.

Re:Russiaphobic racism taken to new heights (lows)

[TheGratefulNet]

we never forgave them for causing all that trouble with moose and squirrel.

Re:Duckduckgo is tracking you in background.

[CustomSolvers2]

Also the website query to each websites for favicon.ico automatically

I have been getting lots of favicon hits since quite a few months ago and wasn't sure about where all this was coming from. I do know that DDG displays site favicons (actually, I did like that feature pretty much when I used it for a while), but always assumed that they were relying on local copies. Curious, even a bit weird, but seems a sensible explanation for my numerous just-favicon visits.

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea about the reliability of the other claims of this AC. I did test DDG for some weeks and my overall impression wasn't too good for various reasons; I might give it a new try at some other point. Currently, I am testing yandex.com (not too happy with it), although still mostly using startpage.com, and expect to start my bing.com tests in brief.

DuckDuckGo now adds another tab

[eford49]

So, now when I open Safari I get an unrequested DuckDuckGo tab displayed, even without actually using the extension during that session. Looks like DuckDuckGo is DuckDuckGone on my system.