One of the major issues currently being discussed regarding internet privacy is that users are concerned about how browsers handle "supposed online privacy," which has led to many users opting for alternatives to popular browsers and even search engines.
Many users turned to DuckDuckGo under the impression that the browser would allow them to enjoy the web without their activity being tracked. But a discovery by a security researcher reveals that things aren't as private as users expected.
DuckDuckGo was discovered allowing data to be transmitted via Microsoft trackers to LinkedIn and Bing's advertising domains. Furthermore, DuckDuckGo admits to having an agreement with Microsoft for the authorization of the Windows publisher's tracking tools on third-party sites.
The privacy-focused DuckDuckGo browser deliberately allows Microsoft trackers on third-party sites due to an agreement in its syndicated search content contract between the two companies.
DuckDuckGo is a search engine that prides itself on your privacy by not tracking your searches or your search behavior. Also, instead of creating user profiles to show interest-based ads, DuckDuckGo will use contextual ads from partners, such as Ads by Microsoft.
Although DuckDuckGo does not store any personal identifiers with your search queries, Microsoft Advertising may track your IP address and other information when you click on an advertising link for "accounting purposes," but it is not associated with an advertising user profile.
DuckDuckGo also offers a privacy-focused web browser for iOS and Android that promotes many privacy features, including always HTTPS encryption, third-party cookie blocking, and tracker blocking.
On its presentation in the App Store, we can read:
“Tracker Radar automatically blocks hidden third-party trackers that we may discover on the websites you visit on DuckDuckGo, preventing the companies behind these trackers from collecting and selling your data.
However, during a security audit of the DuckDuckGo privacy browser, security researcher Zach Edwards discovered that while the browser blocked trackers from Google and Facebook, it allowed Microsoft trackers to continue functioning:
“You can capture data in the so-called DuckDuckGo private browser on a website like Facebook's http://workplace.com and you will see that DDG does NOT stop data flows to Microsoft's Linkedin domains or their Bing ad domains. Try on iOS and Android.”
Further testing showed that DuckDuckGo allowed trackers linked to the bing.com and linkedin.com domains while blocking all other trackers.
In response to Edwards' extensive thread on the topic, DuckDuckGo CEO and founder Gabriel Weinberg confirmed that his browser intentionally allows third-party Microsoft tracking sites due to a search syndication agreement with Redmond:
“When you load our search results, you are completely anonymous, including ads. For ads, we've worked with Microsoft to protect ad clicks. On our public ads page, "Microsoft Advertising does not associate your ad-click behavior with a user profile." »
And to keep saying:
“For the blocking of non-research related trackers (for example in our browser), we block most third party trackers. Unfortunately, our Microsoft search syndication agreement prevents us from doing more for Microsoft properties. However, we continue to push and hope to do more soon.”
Weinberg clarified that this restriction is only in your browser and does not affect the DuckDuckGo search engine. On DuckDuckGo's public announcement page, in the part regarding the partnership with Microsoft, it states:
“We partner with many different sources of information to provide DuckDuckGo Search (eg Microsoft for ads, Apple for maps, etc.). When you view search results (including ads), your searches cannot be linked to you, by us or our partners. Technically, it works: we don't store any personal identifiers (eg IP address) with your search terms, and we also pass all requests to partners through us.
This revelation comes at a bad time, as DuckDuckGo recently criticized Google for its new 'Themes' and 'FLEDGE' tracking methods, saying: "DuckDuckGo's Chrome extension now blocks Google's new 'Themes' tracking method and new FLEDGE advertising retargeting method. Google says they're better for privacy, but in effect, a clue is a clue, whatever you want to call it."
Finally, if you are interested in learning more, you can find the details at the following link.