Who uses DuckDuckGo

[goslowjoe]

I use DDG on all my Macs and iPhones. No hassles although results are not always exactly or par with that other company's search engine. I can live with that as I have made the decision never to use the latter's products.

 

[AngryBlonde]

I've been using DDG for the last few years and before that that I used ixquick. I also use a foreign based VPN 100% of the time on all my devices. As futile as it seems to be I strive to maintain a modicum of privacy.

 

[ipponrg]

I know an olde thread but still as relevant as ever in todays age.

Is there a difference in the following scenarios for internet usage:

1) Use safari with google search as default but all through a vpn
2) Use safari with duck duck go with no vpn
3) Use the dedicated duck duck go browser (no safari)

This is all pure speculation as I am evaluating your questions from a software engineer’s point of view:

1. In this case your VPN is acting as the proxy to send to Google. However this doesn’t matter too much if Google evaluates your persona based on cookies. The only thing a VPN helps with is geolocation. The cookies themselves will still get passed.

2. DDG is effectively a proxy for searches. They probably strip the cookies and custom headers off the requests (if they exist), and search based on that. They probably treat every user as the same user. From an anonymous perspective, this is better than #1 because DDG should be removing any personal tracking information in your request before searching its internal database or proxying to Google. Note that I think Google will know what your geolocation is unless you mask the packets at the network layer

DDG does track users anonymously thru tracking pixels though, but they assure it’s behavioral data and not personal information

3. The DDG browser is probably the best way to search of these 3 because they control the technology stack end to end. In #2, you are reliant that Safari itself doesn’t have any accidental loopholes.

I don’t personally use DDG because I find some parts of it suspicious. But if I were to build this technology, that is how I’d do it.

 

[AngryBlonde]

ipponrg ... what do you find suspicious about DDG?

 

[mcvaughan]

I just started using this, and so far so good. Search results seem to be good. I'm actually trying to move away from anything Google, due to the privacy issues.

 

[2580285]

I use it since two months on all of my devices. Sometimes its results are a bit odd but I don't really care. I have more specific search engines and databases I can go to and not having any sort of tracking (plus a better interface, in my opinion) is a nice feeling.

 

[AllergyDoc]

I use DDG on all my devices. Once in a while I switch to Google or Yahoo or Bing, but do it in a private browser. Not sure if using the private browser does any good, though.