DuckDuckGo: A Search Engine that Prioritizes User Privacy

Overview of DuckDuckGo’s Features and Protections

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that prioritizes user privacy by providing various features and protections against tracking and fingerprinting. Here are the main points:

Referrer Header Trimming

• By default, DuckDuckGo trims some metadata in the referrer header to prevent trackers from identifying users individually.
• This protection is not available on all platforms.

Embedded Social Media Protection

• DuckDuckGo blocks social media embedded content from Facebook by default, including sign-in buttons, videos, comments, posts, pages, and groups.
• This protection will be expanded to additional social media content in the future.

Google-Specific Web Tracking Protections

• Google AMP Protection: DuckDuckGo replaces most Google AMP links with the original publisher’s website when clicked, helping protect users from additional Google tracking.

Availability of Features on Different Platforms

• The availability of these features varies across different platforms:
  • Firefox extension: Supported
  • Chrome extension: Unsupported due to platform limitations
  • Edge extension: Unsupported due to platform limitations
  • Opera extension: Supported
  • Safari extension: Unsupported due to limitations in App Extensions architecture
  • iPhone & iPad app: Unsupported, but on product roadmap
  • Android app: Unsupported, but on product roadmap
  • Mac app: Supported
  • Windows app: Unsupported, but on product roadmap

Conclusion

DuckDuckGo’s commitment to user privacy is evident in its efforts to provide robust protections against tracking and fingerprinting. The search engine continues to evolve and expand its features to better protect users’ online activities.