DuckDuckGo’s search syndication deal with Microsoft is at the heart of a problem leading to data tracking in the company’s hard private mobile web browser.
This week, it was discovered that DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser transfers data to Microsoft-owned properties when it visits certain websites.
This was confirmed by the CEO of DuckDuckGo Gabriel Weinberg, who is working to preserve the company’s reputation after the potentially harmful discovery was shared on Twitter.
Does this mean that DuckDuckGo, privacy-oriented, is not as private as we have come to believe?
Here’s what was revealed about the DuckDuckGo browser, what the CEO has to say in response, and why critics aren’t happy.
The DuckDuckGo browser allows Microsoft tracking
Security researcher Jacob Edwards posted evidence in a long thread on Twitter showing DuckDuckGo’s mobile browser transferring data to Microsoft LinkedIn and Bing ads.
You can capture data within the so-called private DuckDuckGo browser on a website like Facebook and you will see that DDG does NOT stop the flow of data to Microsoft Linkedin domains or their Bing ad domains.
Proof of iOS + Android: ๐๐ซฅ๐ฎโ๐จ๐คกโ๏ธโ๏ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ pic.twitter.com/u3Q30KIs7e
– โจ๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ด๐๐ฏ๐ก๐ฐ (@thezedwards) May 23, 2022
If it was a web browser from another company, transferring data to a third party would not be uncommon.
For DuckDuckGo, a company that sells itself as one that doesn’t track consumers, this becomes quite a scandal.
Privacy is the whole mission of the company. “We are not following you. “Once upon a time,” reads the DuckDuckGo homepage at the time of writing.
Therefore, any amount of tracking contradicts the mission of DuckDuckGo.
Although this issue appears to be exceptional for Microsoft properties, DuckDuckGo still promises a level of security that it does not provide.
The CEO of DuckDuckGo has responded to the criticism
Weinberg was quick to respond to criticism of his company, confirming that Microsoft’s trackers are not blocked in the DuckDuckGo browser.
However, he is trying to downplay the situation because it does not affect DuckDuckGo’s search results.
“It’s not about searching,” he began in a statement posted on the Hacker News forum.
Isn’t it?
If it weren’t for the search syndication deal between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft, this wouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.
Although there may be “irrelevant to our search results,” as a DuckDuckGo spokesman told PCMag.com, this is inextricably linked to the search agreement with Microsoft.
DuckDuckGo’s public relations tour doesn’t end there. Anyone who criticizes the company on Twitter receives the same copy and pasted response from Weinberg:
“Hello, FYI – this is not about our search engine and we are actually restricting Microsoft scripts in our browsers, including blocking their third-party cookies. If you want full context, I left a detailed explanation in reddit.
In the Reddit thread he links to, Weinberg states that DuckDuckGo does not promise anonymity when browsing outside of its search engine.
He also claims that “nothing can provide 100% protection” and what DuckDuckGo offers is “the best thing for the mass consumer”.
In summary
What are the main conclusions from all this?
In short, a company that promises never to follow you actually actually follows you.
We learned that complete anonymity is not guaranteed when you surf DuckDuckGo outside of its search engine.
DuckDuckGo is contractually obligated to allow Microsoft tracking in its web browser.
The company continues to promise protection against tracking data when conducting search queries on DuckDuckGo.com.
It remains to be seen whether this has a lasting impact on DuckDuckGo’s reputation.
In honor of DuckDuckGo, it is rare to see a CEO face a problem so quickly and publicly respond to people’s concerns. Weinberg was nothing but transparent about the search deal between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft.
Featured Image: Ascannio / Shutterstock
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