Written by: Jay H.
Online privacy is a hot topic nowadays. Everything you do, from the web pages you visit, searches you enter, and online purchases you make, is tracked and sold to advertisers. That’s why when you look up, say, barbeques, you get relentlessly bombarded with barbeque ads.
However, with Google being the dominant search engine, you may think that you have no alternatives and that your privacy is the price you pay for online browsing. Luckily, you have other options. DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine alternative that can replace Google entirely. Learn more about DuckDuckGo and find out if it’s for you.
About DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine founded in 2008 that claims it does not store your personal information when you search, ever. So every time you search, it is like you have never used it before. To use it, you simply head over to duckduckgo.com and search like you would on google.com or bing.com.
You can also set DuckDuckGo as your default browser. This will do new searches in tabs or your browser’s location bar through DuckDuckGo instead of Google.
On DuckDuckGo’s homepage, the company says: “Our privacy policy is simple: we don’t collect or share any of your personal information.”
In fact, the browser takes user privacy to another level. For instance, DuckDuckGo actively blocks other search engines and trackers from collecting user data.
You may be wondering, how does DuckDuckGo make money then? Well, the search engine shows ads based on the keyword you’re currently searching. For example, if you look up barbeques, you’ll see barbeque ads on the results page. Searching doesn’t involve any tracking because it is based on the keyword, not the person.
How Useful Are The Search Results?
The search results provided by DuckDuckGo are similar to those you’d get from Google. However, since the search engine does not track you, they may be less personalized. But you can still get localized results through DuckDuckGo – like weather or nearby restaurants – all while remaining anonymous.
Google is a massive search engine. The company has indexed hundreds of billions of web pages and strives to provide valuable and accurate results. So, if your focus is simply on the quality of results and you don’t care too much about your privacy, Google is the premium search engine option.
Which Search Engine Is Right For You?
Both DuckDuckGo and Google will likely give you the search results you’re looking for. However, the answer boils down to your preference. What works best for you is the correct decision.
If you’re passionate about your privacy, you might lean towards DuckDuckGo. But if you enjoy the Google experience and don’t mind the lack of privacy, it will work just fine for you. If you’re interested in switching, try setting DuckDuckGo as your default browser and see if you like the results. If not, you can always change back to Google in a few clicks.
Comments are closed.