Google’s position as the most popular search engine is under pressure. DuckDuckGo is making strong inroads and here’s why.
When you are active online, chances are you are being followed. Whether you’re shopping, subscribing to something or just scrolling through social media. Companies, like Google, often want to use your data to make their ads more effective. DuckDuckGo helps you avoid that.
There are also other browsers that protect your online privacy, such as Brave and Mullvad. But DuckDuckGo is a direct competitor to Google because it has its own app and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and other browsers. In recent years, the search engine has invested heavily in expanding its services to better protect your privacy.
Is DuckDuckGo the safest search engine ever?
DuckDuckGo began as a search engine and browser that keeps your search activities anonymous and does not track you around the Web. Now the company offers a wider range of services, including paid options through their Privacy Pro subscription. This subscription includes a VPN, personal information removal and identity theft recovery.
The search engine does not track searches you make through their browser extension or mobile app. Unlike browsers like Chrome, which only don’t store your search history in private or incognito windows. DuckDuckGo does not store search history at all, even in their default windows.
The secure search engine (Image: DuckDuckGo)
In addition, DuckDuckGo automatically redirects you to the encrypted versions of websites, making it harder for others to see what you are doing online. This is different from Google, where you often find both encrypted and unencrypted versions of websites and often have to search for the right version yourself.
DuckDuckGo takes those extra steps for you, so you don’t have to search for encrypted connections yourself. In addition, the search engine actively blocks external trackers that follow you online. Could you feel any more secure on a search engine?
The difference with Google’s incognito mode
Big companies like Google and Facebook make their money by targeting ads based on your browsing history and personal information. DuckDuckGo tackles these things completely differently.
As we mentioned earlier, DuckDuckGo does not store your browsing data at all and blocks trackers when you are browsing. Google’s incognito mode merely removes information about your browsing session from your computer. Think of your history, cookies and entered data.
Well-hidden, or not? (Image: Unsplash)
This only happens after you close the session by closing all your tabs. If you leave incognito tabs open for hours or days, that information just remains stored. And even with incognito mode, Google can store your searches. And companies, ISPs and governments can still track you.
How on earth does DuckDuckGo get its pennies?
DuckDuckGo still makes money from ads, but they don’t do it by using your personal information. They show ads based on the keywords you enter, not based on your browsing or purchase history. So you see ads for what you are currently searching for.
They also recently introduced a paid subscription, Privacy Pro, in the U.S.. For $10 a month or $100 a year, Americans get access to DuckDuckGo’s VPN, their service to delete personal info, and an identity theft recovery service.
