DuckDuckGo Browser Starts Blocking Microsoft Trackers – Make Tech Easier

Previously we reported that DuckDuckGo browser is not as private as you might have thought since it allows Microsoft trackers. However, a new blog post from DuckDuckGo announced that the browser would have more web tracking protection and would now block Microsoft trackers.

Also read:DuckDuckGo browser not entirely private: it allows Microsoft trackers

Transparency by DuckDuckGo

After my first news post on this topic, it was clear that the people behind DuckDuckGo are very concerned about how the browser and the search engine are communicated. They made a statement, which we’ve included in full at the bottom of my original message.

Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of DuckDuckGo, said in the statement that they have “always taken the utmost care never to promise anonymity while browsing” as that is simply not possible. He also mentioned that they would be making updates to the app store descriptions to make this clearer.

Weinberg was also completely honest when he explained that one of the “limitations” in providing protection is “contractual.” DuckDuckGo gets most search results from Bing. This resulted in the first deeper insight into this practice. When you click on a Microsoft ad in the DuckDuckGo browser, your IP address is sent to Microsoft.

New DuckDuckGo browser policy

Weinberg published a blog post on Aug. 5 that said the company’s vision is to “raise the standard of trust online,” and that includes being transparent about its privacy practices. The hope is that it will “make the internet less scary.”

At this point, I think we’re all on the same page. As patrons of the internet, we want privacy, we want apps and websites to be transparent, and certainly we all want it to be less scary. The internet is a powerful beast, and with power comes responsibility. As an internet user, I want websites to be honest. If a website or app is using my information, they should at least admit it.

Weinberg reported that he had heard from several users that DuckDuckGo “did not meet their expectations regarding one of our browser’s web-tracking protections.”

Later this week, DuckDuckGo expands the list of scripts that third-party tracker loading protection blocks on websites. It will now include Microsoft scripts for iOS and Android apps, as well as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera extensions. More beta apps are in preparation. Scripts already on the list include Facebook and Google.

While many browsers have some default tracking protection, these are mostly cookie and fingerprint protections that “restrict third-party tracking scripts after they’ve loaded in your browser.” However, this leaves your IP address and other identifying information vulnerable. Third-party tracker charging protection fills this gap and prevents the trackers from charging.

Weinberg reported that they had no contractual obligation with any company other than Microsoft and are now no longer limited to Microsoft. In addition, he stated that Microsoft tracking was already limited due to other web tracking protections, but now the update allows more blocker tracking than most other browsers.

Continued Privacy Policy

Now, when you click on a Microsoft-provided ad that appears on DuckDuckGo, Microsoft Advertising does not associate your ad-clicking behavior with a user profile. Microsoft scripts with the bat.bing.com domain are used to see whether an ad on DuckDuckGo is effective within Microsoft Advertising.

DuckDuckGo is now “working on an architecture for private ad conversions that can be externally validated as non-profiling” to no longer rely on bat.bing.com, and Safari and Firefox are also working on this issue.

While browser extensions, non-beta apps, and tracker wheels were already open source, DuckDuckGo has made its tracker protection list public and updated the privacy dashboard to show more information about third-party requests. A new help page has also been added.

Weinberg ended his blog post by stating that he “has been building DuckDuckGo as an independent company for almost 15 years” and that he “believes more than ever that the majority of online users would choose to have more privacy if they could just hit a privacy button.’ That’s why our product vision is to pack as much privacy as possible into one package. We have a long-term commitment to making simple privacy protections available to all and will continue to strive to increase the quality, understanding and trust of our product.”

Looking for more about DuckDuckGo? Read more about the email protection service.

Photo credit: Unsplash All screenshots by Laura Tucker

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