The DDG Privacy Browser has the speed you need, the browsing features you expect (like tabs & bookmarks), and also comes with best-in-class privacy essentials.
#Duckduckgo browser extensions for android#
But without these bells and whistles, the results are largely the same.DuckDuckGo describes itself as “the search engine that doesn’t track you.”Īlthough DDG is better known for its privacy-focused search engine, the company has expanded into making its own Privacy Browser app for Android and IOS. The streamlined Google web browsing I’ve become accustomed to via cookies, auto-fill, and personalization are of course a convenience. It just means that you may have to modify your search parameters. This doesn’t mean that DuckDuckGo can’t find what you’re after. While Google is able to accurately guess what you’re looking for, a bit more hand-holding is required with DuckDuckGo. But what I found from this little experiment was that, for the most part, what we’re all searching for online is pretty simple and straightforward. I had long ago accepted that my privacy would be sacrificed for more accurate results. I’m a jaded millennial and I grew up in the age of internet data tracking. Do you want the most accurate results and most advanced features? Then you’ll want to stick with Google.Īs for me, I plan to continue using DuckDuckGo. Do you value privacy above all else? Then go ahead and make the switch. Should you switch to DuckDuckGo? It depends on what you want from your search engine. Will I switch to DuckDuckGo permanently? Should you? In a day and age when we’re constantly bombarded with flashing ads and pop-ups, this made for a really pleasant browsing experience. In fact, while using DuckDuckGo, I noticed fewer advertisements in general. These ads were only relevant to what I was searching, and never followed me around while browsing other websites. When I searched for something, the results page would show only a few related advertisements along the right-hand side, or above the first results. I had none of those plushie advertisement hauntings while using DuckDuckGo. Google does allow you to control the personalization of ads under Ad Settings, but the onus is on the user to make the adjustments themselves. This data is then applied to ad targeting, leading to highly specific ads popping up on seemingly every website you visit.įor example, when I searched Google for stuffed toys to buy for my young nephew’s birthday, every website I visited for the next few weeks kept showing me Pokemon plushies in their banner advertisements. So, not only does the service itself keep your browsing private, it also prevents third parties from tracking you as well.Īs you use its services, Google creates a profile on you based on personal data, such as your search habits and purchasing history. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo doesn’t auto-suggest new searches because it never collects your search history to begin with-this felt like a small price to pay for more private browsing.Īnother refreshing privacy feature: DuckDuckGo actively blocks external trackers from following you around online. If you don’t like this, however, these settings can be changed by turning off personal results. Google’s (admittedly handy) Autocomplete prediction works by reflecting both real searches done by other users on Google as well as your own past searches. The entire time I was using the search engine, I didn’t feel inconvenienced by the lack of personalization.
Privacy is the biggest draw of DuckDuckGo, and it applies it in a way that doesn’t feel restricting. Using DuckDuckGo brought me back to a simpler time when a search engine was only there to answer questions like, “What is the best laptop under $1000?” or “What was Tim Robbins’ character’s nickname in Top Gun?” (It was Merlin.) I barely remember a time when my every move wasn’t tracked, analyzed, and then marketed back to me through targeted suggestions and ads. Google has taken steps to address the issue by allowing you to disable search personalization under settings, but I suspect many users are still unaware of this option. For someone who has used Google most of his adult life, this feels oddly refreshing.
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