Is DuckDuckGo Safe?

If you use or plan to use DuckDuckGo as a search engine, you need to know: Is DuckDuckGo safe? 

Below, we explain whether DuckDuckGo is: 

• Safe to use. 
• Good for privacy. 

We also give some steps you can take to improve both your safety and privacy when using this online service. 

What is DuckDuckGo?

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that positions itself as an independent alternative to Google. 

DuckDuckGo is a popular search engine for users concerned about their online privacy. 

Founded by Gabriel Weinberg in 2008, DuckDuckGo prioritizes user privacy and does not track users’ search history or personalize search results based on past queries. 

DuckDuckGo generates search results from a variety of sources, including its own web crawler (the DuckDuckBot), crowd-sourced websites like Wikipedia, and partnerships with other search engines like Bing. 

Because its main selling point is its commitment to privacy, it’s an attractive option for users who want to minimize their digital footprint while searching the web.

Is DuckDuckGo Safe?

Yes, DuckDuckGo is generally considered safe to use. 

It uses encryption to secure your searches and employs various security measures to protect users from malicious websites or harmful content. It also shows fewer ads than its counterparts, which reduces your risk of encountering phishing scams.

Is DuckDuckGo Private?

Yes. DuckDuckGo’s value offering as a search engine is its focus on privacy. 

DuckDuckGo says that it does not save your searches, doesn’t share your searches with third parties (meaning there is no “search leakage”), and doesn’t create shadow user profiles in an attempt to show you personalized ads. 

That said, DuckDuckGo was recently exposed allowing Microsoft’s trackers to continue functioning on users’ mobile devices, effectively enabling Microsoft to follow users onto non-Microsoft sites and monitor their activity there. Since then, the company has promised to be more transparent and to increase its privacy features. 

Officially, DuckDuckGo’s privacy policy is, in a nutshell, “We don’t track you.” 

DuckDuckGo expands upon this to say that the only information stored on the website—your device’s IP address, browser type, and language, for example—is kept temporarily to ensure that you’re getting the correct content when you conduct a search and that you’re not a bot. It emphasizes that your device’s IP address is not logged in association with your search queries. 

Third parties like Terms of Service; Didn’t Read, a project that rates internet services’ terms of services and privacy policies, give DuckDuckGo a “Grade B.” For comparison’s sake, Microsoft Bing gets a “Grade E.”

How to Improve Your Safety and Privacy on DuckDuckGo

For a safer and more private experience on DuckDuckGo, follow these steps:

• Use DuckDuckGo’s browser extension. If you’re a Chrome user, consider installing DuckDuckGo’s Privacy Essentials extension. It will make DuckDuckGo your default search engine and block trackers from loading on websites as you browse.
• Enable HTTPS. Ensure you’re using DuckDuckGo’s website’s HTTPS version (https://duckduckgo.com). This encryption protocol adds a layer of security to your searches by protecting the data exchanged between your browser and DuckDuckGo’s servers.
• Adjust privacy settings. DuckDuckGo allows you to customize your privacy settings. Visit DuckDuckGo’s settings page (https://duckduckgo.com/settings) to tailor preferences such as region-specific results, safe search settings, and more.
• Use the Tor browser. For maximum privacy, consider using the Tor browser with DuckDuckGo. The Tor network anonymizes your internet traffic by routing it through a series of volunteer-operated servers, making it more difficult for someone to trace your online activity back to you. The Tor browser’s default search engine is DuckDuckGo, demonstrating how well they fit together.
• Clear cookies and cache. Regularly clear your browser’s cookies and cache to remove any stored data that could potentially be used to track your online activity.