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I asked duckduckgo chat whether duckduckgo respects the privacy of their users...

This is the reply:

As a model running through DuckDuckGo's privacy layer, I can provide you with accurate information about their privacy features.

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that prioritizes user privacy. They have a strong commitment to protecting user data and have implemented various measures to ensure anonymity. Here are some key aspects of their privacy features:

  • No tracking: DuckDuckGo does not track users' searches, browsing history, or any other personal information.
  • No personal data collection: They do not collect or store any personal data, including IP addresses, user agents, or other identifiable information.
  • Encrypted searches: Searches are encrypted, which means that even your ISP or network administrators cannot see what you're searching for.
  • No targeted ads: DuckDuckGo does not display targeted ads, which reduces the risk of data collection and profiling.

Regarding cases where DuckDuckGo's privacy was questioned, there have been a few instances:

  • 2011: DuckDuckGo was criticized for using Amazon Associates, which could potentially track user behavior. However, they quickly addressed the issue and removed the affiliate program.
  • 2019: A security researcher discovered a bug in DuckDuckGo's browser extension that could potentially leak user data. The issue was promptly fixed, and an audit was conducted to ensure the security of their systems.
  • 2020: DuckDuckGo faced criticism for using Microsoft's Bing API, which some argued could compromise user privacy. However, DuckDuckGo clarified that they do not share user data with Microsoft and that their partnership is limited to search results.

It's essential to note that DuckDuckGo has consistently demonstrated a commitment to user privacy and has taken steps to address any concerns or issues that have arisen. They are transparent about their practices and have implemented robust measures to protect user data.

If you have any more questions or concerns about DuckDuckGo's privacy features, feel free to ask!

Is anybody using duckduckgo over searx or other search engines? What is your experience?

land ,
@land@lemmy.ml avatar

What are some of your favourite searx instances? I know I’m going to get some heat for this, but because of how slow searx can be + missing search results forcing me to use brave search. I usually use brave search over ddg.

Any tips for searx to make it faster etc. would be appreciated

NationProtons OP ,

I use the closest one to me from searx.space.
I suppose hosting an instance yourself will give you the best response times, but it always still takes a moment while it searches through multiple search engines.
If you only care about the results of one engine (e.g. google) then you could disable the others. Might speed it up a bit.

TheAnonymouseJoker ,

DDG's former owner ran a data collection business. Make what you want out of it.

ryannathans ,

Sounds like the right person for the job, someone that understands the problem and industry

TheAnonymouseJoker , (edited )

True, we should make rapists the head of women protection police squads, and thieves the head of banks.

Edit: TIL internet users on Lemmy are dumb enough to not detect sarcasm

Midnight1938 ,

Somi thieves are heads of security. Hell some even run countries

Classy ,

Some people are not smart enough to convey sarcasm online without coming off sincere.

TheAnonymouseJoker ,

There are far more people with a crippled or lacking sarcasm meter on internet. My guess is you belong to this category.

RvTV95XBeo ,

You running the Trump campaign in your spare time?

ryannathans ,

Last I heard he was broke, so don't think he could pay me enough

MrSoup ,
@MrSoup@lemmy.zip avatar

Asking a parrot if its house is safe.

I use DDG, BTW. But searxng is very cool.

Facebones ,

I selfhost a searxng instance and honestly forget it's a thing until I'm rebooting my pi or something then wonder why search isn't working lmao

MrSoup , (edited )
@MrSoup@lemmy.zip avatar

I don't use searxng because I'm comfortable with ddg instant answers. We should build an open source alternative like duckduckhack.

Edit: Dunno why people downvoted, but in my opinion having a local js "addon" which for example can convert inch to cm if you search for "2inch in cm" (obviously all should be locally processed) would be very useful.

ExtremeDullard ,
@ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

In other news, CNN says the best news source is CNN.

hexagonwin ,

i just use my local searxng instance and get results from like 10 engines including ddg, then filter with ublacklist

NationProtons OP ,

Ublacklist works with searx? Good to know, I want to try this myself.

Your search results must be so clean and useful.

hexagonwin ,

yeah it works but if you use a local instance you have to compile the extension yourself to include your instance.

ssm ,
@ssm@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

I love searxng in theory, and I use it as my default search engine, but very often I am missing results; I don't know if it's deliberate censorship from bing and google so you don't use their apis on 3rd party platforms, or if searxng is just buggy, but no matter what search engines I enable in the config, I am missing results.

hexagonwin ,

i have that issue as well,, sometimes it's missing results and other times i get the same result repeated on page 2. not sure why that happens, but i guess it's just a bit buggy.

kbal ,
@kbal@fedia.io avatar

using duckduckgo over searx

Well no, but I am getting results from duckduckgo through searx. It's a local instance and when I'm on the road I'll use duckduckgo instead sometimes. It's a big drop in quality compared to getting results from six different engines.

NationProtons OP ,

That’s why I still prefer searx. Duck duck go is basically just Bing results, right?

TachyonTele ,

It's not just Bing results. The image search doesn't bring back as many results as Bing.

CaptainSpaceman ,

DDG chatgpt uses chatgpt protocol, so how much privacy is there in this app?

NationProtons OP ,

Seems like you also have the option to use the open source mixtral and llama3 models.

Also, if all the requests from their users go through their api request, i suppose is much more private than using your own account.

I’m not sure how they plan to monetise this though. Ai chat is not that cheap actually.

lustrum ,

It obfuscates the user each time you use it and doesn't log any info?

So while the query is maybe logged on chatgpts side for their own usage. Hopefully they shouldn't be able to build a profile against you.

CaptainSpaceman ,

Metadata tags mean they can try, idk how easy it is tho

walter_wiggles ,

The constant Temu search results drive me nuts, but I found a setting to disable that.

NationProtons OP ,

Is that something that would be blocked by an adblocker?
Or are you talking about the shopping tab? I have not used that myself in duckduckgo

walter_wiggles ,

No it's like a sponsored search result. You have to go into settings > private search > more settings and then disable Advertisements.

NationProtons OP ,

Oh, so it shows up between your search results? Sounds pretty horrible. Good that it's toggle-able.

N0x0n ,

No-Script and they redirect you to their no-script search results. Pretty neat !

But searxNG is my go to at the moment !

NationProtons OP ,

I also use SearxNG for all my searches at the moment. But the instance I use is not that fast. Might have to look into hosting one myself.

lemmyseizethemeans ,

How to add it to Firefox?

rand_alpha19 ,

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/add-or-remove-search-engine-firefox

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