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DuckDuckGo installs are up 30% as users reject being ‘force-fed’ Google’s AI Search (techcrunch.com)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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EDIIT :

Apparently, there is an issue with the warning request to disable the ad blocker

I use Fennec F-Droid and Cromite, and I don't see this issue.

to get around the adblocker warning, use this link.

https://unwall.app/techcrunch.com/2026/05/26/duckduckgo-installs-are-up-30-as-users-reject-being-force-fed-googles-ai-search/

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[–] 12 points 5 months ago (12 children)

DDG isn't the holy grail people make it out to be; it has contracts with Microsoft and we all know how Microslop likes AI.

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  • [–] 15 points 5 months ago (11 children)

    No, they're not, but they are one of the better-known alternatives to Google, and they do advocate privacy. This, in itself, is a good thing and should be promoted.

    The problem is that Google's monopoly on web search is so large that using Google is the de facto standard for the vast majority of people. Getting them to acknowledge that there are alternatives to Google benefits privacy on the internet more than DDG having contracts with MS harms it.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago (3 children)

    DuckDuckGo literally uses Bing for search results.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    What's the alternative? The basically unusable Mojeek? Rawdogging Bing? SearXNG?

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (6 children)

    Switching from Google to MS/Bing isnt really much of a privacy win.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (5 children)

    Switching from a search engine that heavily tracks you to a search engine that doesn't is a privacy win.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (4 children)

    Think microslop doesn't track you? Think again.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (3 children)

    I'm not sure if I correctly get your point: DDG provides search results based on Bing and has advertisment contracts with MS but DDG in itself doesn't track you:

    From DDGs FAQ:

    We partner with many different information sources to deliver DuckDuckGo Search (e.g., Microsoft for ads, Apple for maps, etc.). When you view search results (including ads), your searches cannot be tied back to you, either by us or our partners. How this works technically is we do not store any personal identifiers (e.g., IP address) with your search terms, and we also proxy all requests to partners through us.

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago* (2 children)

    Rule of thumb is to not take their word as gospel. All social media also present themselves as being concerned about your privacy when they are anything but.

    Search engine ad set-ups include trackers typically.

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  • [–] 1 point 5 months ago (1 child)

    Okay, I get it. So do you propose that we simply don't trust any company, or do you especially mistrust DDG? If you specifically mistrust DDG, do you have a good alternative?

    If you mistrust companies in general: I get where you're coming from, but I also think it's highly impractical to distrust basically everyone on the Internet because you have to use their services at some point.

    I wouldn't use DDG's Android app, though, because it doesn't block Microsoft trackers. Now we can debate whether this means the app doesn't block MS trackers on MS websites or if it allows tracking on its own website (which would contradict the claim I cited above).

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  • [–] 2 points 5 months ago

    My proposition is to avoid making it seem that a provider is trustworthy when it isn't.

    Trusting a provider because you have to use one (and not because they are actually trustworthy) doesn't seem appropriate. Either use it while knowing they're not trustworthy, or don't.

    There's a lack of good options right now to my knowledge. It seems that startpage may be a viable option, although I've heard it pulls from Google's search results. Though if it doesn't have Google's trackers I would still see that as a better option.

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