Google’s results page used to be very simple, just a list of links that answered the search query. Now it shows ads, at the top and bottom of the page, more and more widgets are added to the page that “help” you. In truth they help Google keep you on their websites and products.
Sometimes, you just want the best answer to a query without all the extra stuff Google keeps adding.
Also, with Google is the issue of privacy. Google tracks you. If you keep using Google as your search engine, over time Google will generate an enormous amount of detailed information about you. Such as:
- religious beliefs
- medical problems
- sexual inclinations
- political beliefs
- food preferences
…and everything else you search for.
97% of the Google’s revenues are from advertising.
Source: https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/05/10/15-ways-google-monitors-you
DuckDuckGo blocks hidden trackers from Google and Facebook.
Hidden third-party trackers lurk on 85% of the most popular websites. DuckDuckGo’s apps for iOS and Android, as well as our browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox, block most hidden trackers, helping keep your personal data private.
#2 search engine on mobile in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the Netherlands & more.
Source: https://spreadprivacy.com/duckduckgrowing/
Get good search results with a private search engine
DuckDuckGo’s apps and extensions come with built in protections including a private search engine, tracker blocking, email protection and more. You get the same Internet you’re used to, but without a lot of the creepy ads or invasive tracking.
DuckDuckGo and Privacy
DuckDuckGo is known for not tracking searches. Let’s delve into exactly what information is collected.
Information Collected by DuckDuckGo
No cookies are stored by default, however, if you change the settings then cookies are used to store those settings.
If you use the !bang system the bangs you used are stored in a cookie.
Searches are saved but not in a way that can identify you. So no storing of IP address or unique user agent strings etc. The aggregate and non-personal search data is used to improve things like misspellings.
DuckDuckGo adds affiliate codes to some searches (e.g. Amazon and eBay) to collect small commissions when you make a purchase.
Information NOT collected
When you search on DuckDuckGo, the search engine does not know who you are and there is no way to tie your searches together.
The following information is NOT collected:
- Browser information sent to DuckDuckGo is not stored (e.g. IP address, referrer, User Agent etc)
- Browser cookies are not used by default (but see next section for exceptions)
Information Shared
If you set some non-default behaviour (turn off redirects, don’t turn on POST or use the encrypted site) it is possible for data to be leaked to other sites. This does not happen by default.
DuckDuckGo will comply with legal requests. However, since there is no identifiable data stored by DuckDuckGo there would be nothing of value to gain by legal authorities.
DuckDuckGo and Trackers
Unlike other browsers, DuckDuckGo will block trackers before they load.
Google Chrome won’t block third party cookies until 2023. Let’s face it though, Google earns most of its revenue from advertising. Do you really think they are going to stop tracking you?
The reality is once a tracker has loaded it has many ways of tracking you, not just through a cookie.
- Generate a “fingerprint” of your system as a unique ID to identify you
- your IP address
- CNAME cloaking (where third-parties pretend they are first-parties)
- and many, many more ways
Many of these ways of tracking you cannot be turned off because your browser needs them to function properly.
You can be absolutely certain that the trackers from Google and Facebook will still tracker you even if third party cookies are blocked.
Major benefit of blocking trackers
One other major benefit of blocking trackers is it will speed up page loading!
In testing DuckDuckGo found that blocking trackers results in 66% fewer files loading and 34% less data transferred resulting in the page loading 46% faster!
Yay, for data privacy.
DuckDuckGo Privacy Policy
DuckDuckGo take your privacy seriously. You can read their privacy policy here: https://duckduckgo.com/privacy.
DuckDuckGo Search History
There is no search history with DuckDuckGo. It doesn’t store your queries.
If you want to see your search history for DuckDuckGo you can look in your browser’s history and filter down to your DuckDuckGo searches.
DuckDuckGo Advanced Search
Get a definition
Get the weather
Get instant translations
DuckDuckGo and SEO
How the DuckDuckGo search engine ranks content is proprietary, so we don’t know exactly it calculates ranking positions. Still, the fundamentals of SEO apply.
Good SEO means:
- write high quality original content
- format articles for search engines (header, sub-heading, bullet points, images etc)
- technical SEO (fast web server, fast website, optimize image sizes)
- add internal and external links
For more tips for SEO you can read this article: 29 SEO Tips and Tricks to help you rank better in Google.
Submit your website to DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo does not have a tool you can use to submit your website or individual pages.
It does compile data from Bing though. So, by submitting your website to Bing you can also ensure your website links will appear on DuckDuckGo eventually.
Bing Webmasters link: https://www.bing.com/webmasters/
DuckDuckGo vs Google
Google Search tracks you, DuckDuckGo doesn’t.
On DuckDuckGo, there are no search histories and no user profiling. This means your search activity remains private, and you’ll see fewer creepy ads following you around online.
“Incognito Mode” isn’t private.
Google would like you to think “Incognito Mode” is private. The truth is though, it isn’t. Google still tracks every search you make and most websites you visit in Incognito Mode. DuckDuckGo doesn’t track you, ever.
DuckDuckGo on Android
Add DuckDuckGo to your mobile device: https://duckduckgo.com/app
Privacy, at a glance
The Privacy Grade shows you how much a site can be trusted, before and after Privacy Protection is applied.
Smarter encryption
DuckDuckGo forces sites to use encrypted connections when available, protecting your data from prying eyes.
Escape advertising trackers
Sites are full of trackers that track your every move and slow down your browsing. DuckDuckGo blocks most trackers on the sites you visit.
Android APK Package: https://github.com/duckduckgo/Android/releases
DuckDuckGo and Mac
Do you have a Mac and like DuckDuckGo?
Sign up for the Mac app, a private, fast and secure Browsing app. At the time of writing you need to join the private waitlist to get access to the app.
Check the link here: https://spreadprivacy.com/introducing-duckduckgo-for-mac/
Follow DuckDuckGo on Social
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/duckduckgo
Follow on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/duckduckgo/
Official Blog: https://spreadprivacy.com
Final Thoughts
DuckDuckGo is now the 2nd most popular search engine and is growing fast.
If you haven’t tried out DuckDuckGo search engine why not check it out? I’ve been using it for years on my PC and mobile.
Try it out here: https://duckduckgo.com/
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