Popular and privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo plans to release a desktop browser for macOS desktops and laptops.
The browser is designed from the ground up to maintain privacy; this means that it will not collect information about users and will not place cookies or tracking codes on devices. The company also claims that it can block "hidden trackers" before they load.
DuckDuckGo's search engine is now available for download for mobile devices. In 2019, DuckDuckGo added support for Apple Maps and has since added other improvements to its operation on Apple devices.
DuckDuckGo for Desktop relies on rendering engines provided by the operating system, which is similar to how DuckDuckGo mobile apps work; it won't use a fork of Chromium like other browser offerings do.
The desktop browser is currently in closed beta testing for Mac, with a PC version also scheduled for the future. No release date has been set yet, but DuckDuckGo is currently looking for beta testers.
The DuckDuckGo browser will have no complicated settings, no "misleading" warnings, and no "levels" of privacy protection, "just robust privacy protection that works by default, across search, browsing, email, and more," the company said in a blog post.
“It's not a 'private browser'; is a daily browsing app that respects your privacy because there is never a bad time to prevent companies from spying on your browsing and search history,” said DuckDuckGo.
The Pennsylvania-based company said its desktop app was cleaner, more private and faster than Google's Chrome browser.
DuckDuckGo Inc. also said that over the past year, it has revamped its search results page to have a simpler, more modern design, and has continued to refine and improve results, locations, maps, and routes.
In April, DuckDuckGo partnered with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to improve browsing security and protect user information on the web. The partnership resulted in Duckduckgo's HTTPS Everywhere browser extension being enhanced by incorporating DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption rule sets. HTTPS Everywhere Browser is an extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Opera that encrypts user communications with many major websites, making browsing more secure.
Jon Callas, EFF's director of technology projects, said that while his privacy-focused organization does not endorse any products or browsers, Duckduckgo has "done a lot of work to improve the privacy aspects of research."
DuckDuckGo is one of the few privacy-focused browsers, including Brave and Vivaldi.
"I'm very interested in the idea of DuckDuckGo making a browser. It would be nice to have more privacy-focused browsers," Callas said. “Asking people to try different approaches is good for promoting web privacy. "
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo claims that its search engine is now the most downloaded navigation app on Android in its major markets, and on iOS it's right behind Chrome.
"We average over 100 million searches per day, and our most recent survey showed that 27 million Americans (9%) use DuckDuckGo," the company said in its blog post. "Globally, we've had more than 150 million downloads of our all-in-one privacy apps and extensions since we went beyond just private search in 2018."
According to Jack Gold, president and senior analyst at J. Gold Associates, accessing any search engine is essentially giving up privacy because it's so easy to track what users are searching for by browser and/or computer ID or IP address.
"Cookies are only one part of tracking history, so even if you clear all your cookies after every search and/or website access, it's still possible to track you, just not as easily as cookies," Gold said in an email. answer the questions. “And with cookies, you can be tracked across multiple websites and over long periods of time, whereas with other means you are only tracked when you access the particular website. So, removing tracking cookies alone isn't enough (and also why "don't track me" settings in browsers don't really keep us private). "
Gold isn't entirely convinced that DuckDuckGo won't set cookies or track research, and said people should take the company's word for it when it comes to these promises.
"I guess putting a desktop browser app is a good way to extend your 'privacy' umbrella beyond mobile devices," Gold continued. "Of course, if you download an app, you risk being hacked, so this is a potential additional threat, although it's hard to say to what extent at this point."
The EFF Callas agreed. While some browsers offer "privacy options" such as Google Chrome's incognito mode (which disables the cookie storage feature), a user's browsing history is still saved across the web via IP address.
"All the servers know the IP address it came from. It's a reality on the Internet," Callas said.
The only way to cover the tracks more completely is to use a VPN or Tor (short for The Onion Router), which is free and open source software to allow anonymous communication. Tor manages to hide the two ends of an Internet connection from each other.
All major browser developers offer a free browser because they can make money from a user's browsing history, Gold explained. This is how Google, Microsoft and others work and can offer a browser for free.
Like other search engines, DuckDuckGo generates revenue by running ads on a website called by the user; Rather than relying on the user's browser behavior, the ads served are based on keywords and search query terms.
The company has also touted its support for charities that focus on improving Internet privacy. Over the past decade, DuckDuckGo has donated €3.7 million to privacy-related causes, including the Center for Information Technology Policy, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the European Digital Rights (EDRi) organization.
DuckDuckGo Inc.
DuckDuckGo released app tracking protection in November.
Last month, DuckDuckGo launched App Tracking Protection, a new feature in its Android app that prevents third-party trackers like Google and Facebook from finding other apps. This feature is now in beta.
“Users who try the new feature are already surprised by the amount of tracking that normally occurs on their devices. Please join the waitlist via the DuckDuckGo Android app to try it out,” the company said.
In July, Duck Duck Go Inc. also announced the beta version of Email Protection, a free email forwarding service that removes trackers from emails and protects the privacy of a personal email address without asking users to change your email provider.
Additional Mac-focused features and tips for installing Duckduckgo are available online.
Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc.