| DuckDuckGo Private Browser | |
|---|---|
| Engines | Blink (Android, Windows)[1] WebKit (iOS, macOS)[1] |
| Operating system | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows |
| License | Freeware (the underlying WebView components provided by the operating systems) though DuckDuckGo's custom code for Android and iOS is shared with an Apache-2.0 license[2][3] |
| Website | https://duckduckgo.com/app |
DuckDuckGo Private Browser is a web browser created by DuckDuckGo Inc.[4] It is a privacy-oriented browser available for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows.[5]
The core browser functionality is the WebView component provided by the operating system.[1] This means the browser engine is Blink on Android and Windows, and WebKit on iOS and macOS.
Features
- Automatically blocks web trackers, and upgrades insecure HTTP connections to HTTPS when possible.[6][7]
- Has a special "Duck Player" that allows users to watch YouTube videos without being targeted with advertisements and tracking cookies.[8]
- Has an automatic cookie consent tool and supports the Global Privacy Control option.[9]
- The Android version has a feature called App Tracking Protection, which when enabled blocks trackers in other Android applications.[10][11]
History
DuckDuckGo Private Browser was first released for Android and iOS in 2018.[12] Desktop support began in 2022, with the beta version for macOS.[13][14] The beta version for Windows was released in 2023.[1][15]
Controversies
In May 2022, an independent researcher discovered that Microsoft products, like Bing and LinkedIn, contained tracking scripts that were not blocked by the browser.[16] DuckDuckGo's founder and CEO explained the company was "currently contractually restricted by Microsoft" due to their use of Bing's data to power the DuckDuckGo search engine.[17] In August 2022, however, the company announced that they would block Microsoft trackers.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d Purdy, Kevin (2023-06-22). "DuckDuckGo browser beta for Windows bakes in a lot of privacy tools". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ "DuckDuckGo Android App Github repository". github.com. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "DuckDuckGo iOS App Github repository". github.com. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ "Does DuckDuckGo make a browser?". duckduckgo.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Download the DuckDuckGo browser app". duckduckgo.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ "Your Connection is Secure with DuckDuckGo Smarter Encryption". Spread Privacy: The Official DuckDuckGo Blog. November 19, 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "HTTPS Everywhere Now Uses DuckDuckGo's Smarter Encryption". EFF: Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Weatherbed, Jess (2022-10-18). "DuckDuckGo for Mac is now an open beta". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "Stop Trackers Dead: The Best Private Browsers for 2023". PCMAG. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ^ Weatherbed, Jess (2022-11-16). "DuckDuckGo has opened up its App Tracking Protection beta". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ "Introducing DuckDuckGo App Tracking Protection for Android". Spread Privacy. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ "2018 in Review". DuckDuckGo. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Matt Burgess (12 April 2022). "DuckDuckGo's Privacy Browser Finally Lands on Desktop". Wired. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Emma Roth (12 April 2022). "DuckDuckGo's privacy-centric browser arrives on Mac". The Verge. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Pierce, David (2023-06-22). "DuckDuckGo's privacy-focused browser is available for Windows now". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
- ^ Spadafora, Anthony (2022-05-26). "DuckDuckGo browser is not as private as you think — here's why". Tom's Guide. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Claburn, Thomas (25 May 2022). "DuckDuckGo: Why our browsers won't block Microsoft trackers". The Register. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ Benjamin, Adam (August 24, 2023). "DuckDuckGo: What to Know About Google Search's Privacy-Focused Rival". CNET. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
