#Is duckduckgo browser really safe mac
#Is duckduckgo browser really safe windows

So if you leave your incognito tabs open for hours or days at a time, that information will still build up. Notably, it only does that after you end your session by closing out all your tabs. Incognito mode simply deletes information related to your browsing session from your computer: your history, cookies and any info you've entered into fields. While Google has said it's going to stop this practice, the platform still collects a ton of data about you, including your location and search activity - yes, even in incognito mode.

How is DuckDuckGo different from Google Search? What about Incognito mode and private browsing?ĭuckDuckGo essentially takes the opposite approach compared to other big tech companies like Google and Facebook, which have traditionally made money by targeting ads based on your browsing history and personal data. For a more detailed explanation of DuckDuckGo's privacy features, check out DuckDuckGo's blog. DuckDuckGo had also previously disclosed its partnership with Microsoft, and its CEO said in the Reddit post that the company is working to get that restriction changed.ĭuckDuckGo also actively blocks external trackers from following you around online. However, DuckDuckGo remains ahead of other popular privacy options when it comes to blocking tracking data, and the company has clarified its app store descriptions to better clarify limitations in its privacy protections.

The company followed up in August, however, by announcing that it would further restrict Microsoft trackers in its browsers. This is because the company uses Microsoft's Bing to power its search results. The presence of Microsoft trackers seemed to fly in the face of the search engine's privacy promise, and DuckDuckGo's founder and CEO clarified on Reddit that the company was 'currently contractually restricted by Microsoft' from stopping Microsoft scripts from completely loading. DuckDuckGo saves you the extra steps of manually navigating to encrypted connections.ĭuckDuckGo was criticized in May 2022 when researchers discovered some Microsoft tracking scripts while using DuckDuckGo's browsers. This is another scenario where both options (encrypted and unencrypted) exist on other search engines, but the default isn't always the privacy-friendly option. Searches made through DuckDuckGo also automatically connect you to the encrypted versions of websites wherever possible, making it harder for anyone else to see what you're looking at online. (That's the basis of every ' embarrassing search history' joke.) Instead of making you navigate to a different version of its app, DuckDuckGo never tracks your search history.

#Is duckduckgo browser really safe windows

Other browsers, including Chrome, allow you to use private or incognito windows that don't track your search history, but their default windows do. Read more: Best VPNs of 2023 How does DuckDuckGo work?įor starters, DuckDuckGo does not track searches made through its browser extension or mobile app. Here's what you need to know about DuckDuckGo and how it tries to keep your searches more secure. While it doesn't track users, DuckDuckGo's app was downloaded more than 50 million times between July 2020 and June 2021 - more than all other years combined since its 2008 launch.

#Is duckduckgo browser really safe mac

But DuckDuckGo sees itself as a direct competitor to Google Search, complete with a mobile app and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and other browsers, as well as for Windows and Mac browsers in public beta.Īfter major incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, people have become more aware of how much personal information is available to tech companies and advertisers - and are opting out of being tracked when they can. There are other private browsers, such as Brave and the Mullvad Browser, that block other people from monitoring your online activity. Enter DuckDuckGo, a browser and search engine that pledges to keep your search activity anonymous and not track you online.

Sometimes, you just want a little privacy in your browsing. You search for a product or click an advertisement once, and then ads seem to follow you to the ends of the internet, even across devices.