DuckDuckGo No Longer Private?
Microsoft Trackers Track DuckDuckGo Users
Privacy has remained a critical factor in Internet browsing, and that brings individuals to focus their attention on DuckDuckGo.com. The browser prides itself as the only secure and anonymous browsing portal on the World Wide Web. However, recently it was discovered that private browsing through DuckDuckGo has been revealed as a blatant deception.
The renowned private browsing portal purposely allows Microsoft to break that promise by allowing the tech giant’s trackers to infiltrate third-party websites. This infringement happens due to an agreement between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft in a syndicated search content contract signed between the two popular Internet brands.
The new revelation shows that the contract signed by both companies would affect million of DuckDuckGo users, by purposefully allowing Microsoft trackers to track individuals browsing on third-party websites.
DuckDuckGo came to prominence as it was created with privacy in mind. It is used by hackers, FBI agents, and other law enforcement departments. In addition, it is the search engine of choice for Internet surfers, who wants to prevent third party websites from storing their information and selling them later.
Microsoft’s Hidden Trackers
For decades, the private browser takes pride in protecting the privacy of its millions of users by not tracking their searches or browsing habits. However, that promise has been recently broken – Privacy is now in the past for DuckDuckGo users.
The company will now solicit contextual adverts such as Ads by Microsoft, no longer will it offer interest-based advertisements based on your web browsing history.
As always, DuckDuckGo will not save its clients’ personal information or search queries, but Microsoft, on the other hand, through its adverts now has the power to track your IP address and other information for its so-called “accounting purposes”.
DuckDuckGo also has a privacy-focused web browser for iOS and Android that supports HTTPS-always encryption, third-party cookie blocking, and tracker blocking, among other privacy features.
Bing and LinkedIn Trackers Allowed
The private browser has always utilized Tracker Radar technology to automatically eliminates hidden third-party trackers hiding on websites. According to a DuckDuckGo advert in the Apple App Store, it had set in place preventive measures to counteract websites’ trackers from gathering and selling its users’ data.
A security analysis of the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser by Zach Edwards revealed that Google and Facebook trackers are blocked, but Microsoft trackers have access to the private data of millions of people that utilize the popular search engine. Also, the research analyst shares that DuckDuckGo enables the trackers for Bing and Linkedin.
With this search syndication arrangement, your browsing history could be sold to third party websites. Surfing the Web anonymously is now a pipe dream with the recent acknowledgment by DuckDuckGo CEO and Founder Gabriel Weinberg.
