In addition to maintaining a privacy-focused search engine, DuckDuckGo also has its own browsers for mobile devices – namely iOS and Android. DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser is an alternative browser that aims to focus on users’ privacy while browsing online.
However, it was recently discovered that this browser might not be as private as initially expected, which has put the entity under some criticism from users.
According to a security investigator Zack Edwardswhile it ran a security and privacy check obtained by the DuckDuckGo browser, it was confirmed that it blocks Google and Facebook trackers, but not Microsoft by default.
According to the investigation, the browser does not block tracking from the Bing and LinkedIn domains, which can provide Microsoft with information about users such as their IP addresses, user agent and other information considered “private”.
One of the main advantages of the browser is the fact that it automatically blocks all Internet trackers – and this is one of the main points that warrant its use. With this said, users expect that the procedure will apply to all areas.
However, as the investigator emphasized, this is not the case, as some Microsoft domains have been excluded from the closure.
It is important to note that Bing is one of the search engines with which DuckDuckGo has a direct agreement in order to provide the promoted results in the search engine, focusing on users’ privacy.
While the search results promoted and generated under this agreement may be private to users, it also appears to prevent DuckDuckGo from blocking Microsoft tracking.
Note that this procedure only applies to the DuckDuckGo browser. The web search conducted by DuckDuckGo.com is still done securely and privately, without tracking.
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