DuckDuckGo search engine is one of the secure search engines where people can get a lot of material they need, and it doesn’t track or store your browsing history. The service offers privacy first, from internet browsing to email forwarding. The results you’ll get are not always as relevant; you may not find the exact one
you are looking for.
Over the past few weeks, thousands of privacy-conscious users have switched from WhatsApp to Signal and Telegram, both of which appear to offer more security than WhatsApp. The lesser-known DuckDuckGo search engine does not collect user data or track what you search, which is likely why many people are turning to it over Google or Bing.
The article includes all the desirable information people want to know eagerly before using the network.
Key Takeaways:
DuckDuckgo is a private search engine that does not collect your data.
People can use the DuckDuckgo search engine as a web page interface. It may also use as an extension and either on your mobile.
DuckDuckgo is not owned by other search companies like Microsoft, Bing, Google, and more.
Major browsers offer the option to the users to set DuckDuckgo as the browser’s default search engine.
The DuckDuckGo search engine has a mobile browser app as well as a desktop extension that lets you browse the internet without companies snooping on your private information. It promises to keep your searches private and anonymous and to block trackers, so sites cannot collect information on you when you visit them.
How Does DuckDuckgo Search Engine Work?
As a starter, DuckDuckGo doesn’t track any searches made via its extension or mobile app. The default windows of other browsers, including Chrome, do not track your search history, but private or incognito windows do. Rather than directing you to another version of its app to view your search history, DuckDuckGo never records what you search for.
The searches made through the official sites also connect to the encrypted version of the website when possible. This is another scenario where encrypted and unencrypted scenario options exist on another search engine – but the default option is not always the privacy-friendly option.
Critics of DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo was criticized in May when researchers discovered the Microsoft tracking content while using DuckDuckGo’s official browser. There was a conflict between the search engine’s privacy promise and the presence of Microsoft trackers. DuckDuckGo’s CEO clarified on Reddit that Microsoft was “currently contractually restricting” the company from stopping Microsoft scripts from loading in full. As a result, the search results are powered by Microsoft’s Bing.
Moreover, It has clarified its app store descriptions to clarify limitations in its privacy protections better, placing DuckDuckGo ahead of other popular privacy options when it comes to blocking tracking data. In the Reddit post, DuckDuckGo’s CEO said the company was working to change that restriction, which was previously disclosed. In addition, DuckDuckgo actively blocks external trackers from following you around online.
DuckDuckGo Privacy Features
Consider the following features you must know before using the official site, including all data types.
1: Expose & Block the Tracker Network
The hidden tracker network soaks up all your personal information to follow you with ads around the website, study your browsing behavior, or worse. This means that it is likely that Google or Facebook tracks you wherever you go online. It’s downright creepy.
The data like google and Facebook can include where you live, where you live, your eating choices, favorite sports, reading, travel, and shopping preferences. They use these types of sites in which people are interested in niche-related content. Then they targeted ads to run the paid campaign, highest bidder, and effectively auction off your personal information repeatedly.
2: Increase Encryption Protection
Encryption protects you from eavesdroppers like people lurking on public Wi-Fi, grabbing up your personal information as it travels across the internet and the site you visit most of the time. However, at DuckDuckgo – each site starts with the most famous to verify the sites that offer a solid encrypted version of their sites. Sometimes, the site automatically upgrades. When sites auto-update you, we usually save you from having to make one clear trip (unencrypted). However, many sites won’t auto-update you; in these cases, we do so for you and ensure you always use the encrypted version.
3: Privacy Grades
Calculation of privacy grades is the most useful feature of the DuckDuckgo search engine. This grade checks out the account: how many tracker networks were found on the site, whether the site is a tracker site, and the presence of request encryption being sent.
Our Privacy Protection also calculates the grade and shows you that grade in the toolbar, so you know how protected you are. If you tap or click the icon, you will be taken to the underlying website’s grade and all the details about the tracker and encryption.
Besides its primary function, this feature also serves a secondary one. It serves as a reminder that websites should adhere to a higher standard regarding privacy online. The majority of websites do not take the steps needed to protect user information. This leads to virtually no website getting an “A” for privacy.
4: Search Privately
When you visit the DuckDuckgo browser, you share personal information with the search engine, like your financial, political, or medical questionnaire. But when people search for their business, DuckDuckgo does not track them at all.
As DuckDuckgo mentioned many times, this has been a private search engine for over a decade and has everything you expect from a search engine, such as instant answers, maps, etc.
5: Bang
Users of the DuckDuckGo search engine can search on specific third-party websites using “!Bang” keywords – the search engine of the third-party website, if applicable. According to August 2020, 13,564 “bangs” are available for a variety of internet sites. A total of 2,000 “bangs” were removed in December 2018. For instance, the search of pirated content websites was deleted due to liability concerns, while others were deleted due to being broken.
How to Use DuckDuckGo
When you go on the official website of the DuckDuckgo search engine, type your query and get the best SERP result. As with Google, users can also explore images, videos, news, maps, and shopping. The site’s result page is similar to the Google panel that will guide you about the top related searches.
Users get more social results by searching on Google like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. However, people mostly asked for the videos and images that also get on the DuckDuckgo search engine.
Google algorithm works according to your mindset, giving you a relevant result that depends on your perspective. When people search for “OSCAR FILM FESTIVAL,” Google’s first results include different articles and FAQs, but the DuckDuckgo search engine does not give you the FAQ option while relating to the top searches.
The DuckDuckgo& Microsoft Bing gives the Oscar web on the initial search. Still, Google shows the main festival page with top-related indexing content. The second result page belongs to Wikipedia because it’s an editor site and people mostly search through Wikipedia,which shows the instant result.
Most obvious worth noting that DuckDuckgo uses Apple maps and yelp reviews. Of course, Google shows google maps and reviews, but Microsoft Bing runs on OpenStreetMap and TripAdvisor.
Pros & Cons of Using DuckDuckGo
Easy to use as surface web.
The web respects the user’s privacy and doesn’t track IP addresses.
It doesn’t save search history or not disclose it to anyone.
The official site blocks the hidden trackers and chooses the have the encrypted connection.
CONS
DuckDuckgo can’t handle complicated search queries like other search engine handle.
Search results don’t remain the same since they are not personalized to the keywords.
The searches could compare with the surface web engine.
What Crawlers Does DuckDuckGo Search Engine Use?
DuckDuckGo uses over 400 sources to provide you with top search results, which include sources such as:
Bing
Yahoo
Apple maps
Yandex
Wolfram Alpha
The snippets are also generated by DuckDuckBot, their web crawler, and other crowdsourced sites like Wikipedia. Nevertheless, they explicitly state they don’t use any Google sources.
Furthermore, they promise not to share personal information with their partners as part of their strict privacy policy. It is reassuring for those who wish to maintain their privacy when using the internet.
How to Add DuckDuckGo in Top Rated Browser
If you want to get into the DuckDuckgo search engine, visit your favorite browser, type DuckDuckgo.com, and click enter to get the official site. Scroll it because you like it. Once you are ready to go with your current browser, select DuckDuckgo as your default search engine and add it to your browser, or you may also add an extension to explore the features.
Adding DuckDuckgo Dark Engine to Google Chrome
Google Chrome users have two options when using DuckDuckgo search engine on the computer. The best option is to use DuckDuckgo as the private search engine and make DuckDuckgo the default search engine. The following steps will guide how you get into it.
Open your browser and click on the three vertical dots shownin the right corner.
Tap on setting and type Manage Search Engine in the search bar.
A screen showing where click on three vertical dots, click on it and tap on make default. This will make the DuckDuckgo default search engine in your IP address search bar.
Most people want alternatives for extra privacy because privacy is a priority for them. So, install the DuckDuckgo chrome extension, which will block the hidden trackers and connect you to the encrypted version of the website If available.
If you changed your mind after installing the DuckDuckgo & its extension. Go to the browser extension and disable the extension in your chrome browser settings.
Adding DuckDuckgo Dark Engine toFirefox
Making DuckDuckgo your default search engine in Firefox is similar to the desktop. Open the setting option of your browser by clicking on the vertical three-dot option. Now tap on preferences and open the default search engine drop-down menu to select DuckDuckgo. This will change the settings for search in your IP address bar.
If people want to make DuckDuckgo your homepage in Firefox, use the link extension to the home icon and Choose Yes in the pop-up window. Like Chrome, Firefox has extra special features called add-on DuckDuckgo privacy essentials. It has another level of the private network.
Adding DuckDuckgo Search Engine for Android
DuckDuckgo has a browsing app for different devices, but if you want to take it on the browser on iOS and Android. Follow the steps below available on DuckDuckgo help pages.
Go to the menu icon &settings of mobile when you want to change the search engine to DuckDuckgo.
Visit the general option and touch the “default search engine” settings.
In the default search engine, choose the DuckDuckgo bar.
How to Add DuckDuckgo Search Engine to Safari/UC Browser/Windows & More
Safari users want either default search engine. Hence, get the DuckDuckgo tap on the magnifying glass in the search bar that will bring you down to select the default search engine. You can also add the DuckDuckgo extension from the AppStore in your browser.
Open the hamburger menu, go to settings, and tap on the search engine.
Next, the drop-down menu will show at the top of the page, and choose the default DuckDuckgo dark engine.
On the edge, click on the three dots in the top right and select settings.
On the next page, tap on the top left lines and choose privacy, search, and services.
Scroll all the pages down and under the services heading, tap on the address bar and search.
An open drop-down menuappears next to the search engine used in the address bar, and choose DuckDuckgo. People can also use privacy essentials but approach the DuckDuckgo help page and read what you have to do to get the add-on.
How Important Is DuckDuckGo for The Hidden Wiki & Deep/Dark Web Links?
We’ve all heard how DuckDuckGo started as a search engine that didn’t track you, and then they decided to start tracking you. It’s a very important story because it shows the power of companies who want to know everything about us. But it’s also a story that’s not true.
DuckDuckGo is an important search engine for deep/dark web links and hidden wikis because of the content required for running or working on these sites on this search engine platform. People can grow on this site by making sites related to the darknet and hidden wiki and making revenue through paid ads. This site gives you basic and detailed information that suits the readers’ tastes. You can learn about every topic, and I recommend that people go through the site to learn more and then earn more.
When visitors search for dark web links, they haven’t found what they desire easily, but if you search about the hidden wiki, visitors always find results searches easily on the wiki. Hence, navigation is a top factor that you must consider before thinking about website development. You can find everything on DuckDuckgo; it could relate to illegal or legal content.
DuckDuckGo User Statistics
DuckDuckGo search engine is the second most commonly used mobile search engine in the United States, accounts for only 0.68% of the global search engine market share. However, in the U.S., the search engine holds a 2.51% share of the search engine market. Over six million users have downloaded the DuckDuckGo Chrome extension app, and advertising on this search engine is ten times less expensive than on Google. To date, the company has raised $13 million in funds and employs a staff of 172 individuals.
Does DuckDuckgo Work Privately?
DuckDuckgo claims that you can’t work privately on this huge platform because when you browse the apps on your mobile, not a single browser can keep you private. It is impossible because when a web interacts with a computer, the data on the web from your browsing is left on the device.
Don’t worry if you are eager to use the search engine privately; download a paid VPN and work privately on your device. In fact, using TraceFree can turn Google into a private search engine because they can’t identify you, the device, and your location.
How Does DuckDuckGo Make Money?
The DuckDuckGo search engine does not track professionals or beginners. It claims to be private, secure, and anonymous, but what does it do with the data it collects? In an attempt to find out more about DuckDuckGo’s business model, I decided to take a closer look at how they generate revenue. I did this by analyzing their latest annual report and looking at their financial statements.
According to the algorithm study, DuckDuckgo generates revenue from advertising but does not use targeted ads. The search engine show ads based on the keyword you search for, which are not connected to your data like your browsing history. Most importantly, people only see ads for whatever they are searching for.
At last! This is all about the DuckDuckgo search engine and if you ever know more detail about this platform, let me know in the comment box.
