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DuckDuckGo: Meet the Privacy-Focused Rival to Google Search

What is DuckDuckGo, and how does it work? Here’s everything to know about the privacy-minded search engine.

Online trackers can be annoying. You search for a product or click on an advertisement one time, and then ads for that product seem to follow you to the ends of the internet, even across devices. Sometimes, you just want a little privacy in your browsing. Enter DuckDuckGo, a search engine that pledges to keep your search activity anonymous and not track you online. 

There are other private browsers, such as Brave and the Mullvad Browser, that block others from monitoring your online activity. But DuckDuckGo — which has spent heavily on an advertising campaign — sees itself as a direct competitor to Google Search, complete with a mobile app and extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and other browsers, as well as a Mac browser in public beta

After major incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, people have become more aware of how much personal information is available to tech companies and advertisers — and are opting out of being tracked when they can. While it doesn’t track users, DuckDuckGo’s app was downloaded more than 50 million times between July 2020 and June 2021 — more than all other years combined since its 2008 launch. 

Here’s what you need to know about DuckDuckGo and how it tries to keep your searches more secure.

What is DuckDuckGo? 

DuckDuckGo is a search engine that offers a mobile browser app and a desktop extension, both aimed at allowing you to browse the internet without companies gobbling up your personal data. It promises to keep your searches private, anonymous and offers built-in tracker blocking, so the sites you visit have a harder time collecting information about you. 

Read more: Best VPNs of 2023

How does DuckDuckGo work?

For starters, DuckDuckGo does not track searches made through its browser extension or mobile app. Other browsers, including Chrome, allow you to use private or incognito windows that don’t track your search history, but their default windows do. (That’s the basis of every «embarrassing search history» joke.) Instead of making you navigate to a different version of its app, DuckDuckGo never tracks your search history.

Searches made through DuckDuckGo also automatically connect you to the encrypted versions of websites wherever possible, making it harder for anyone else to see what you’re looking at online. This is another scenario where both options (encrypted and unencrypted) exist on other search engines, but the default isn’t always the privacy-friendly option. DuckDuckGo saves you the extra steps of manually navigating to encrypted connections.

DuckDuckGo was criticized in May 2022 when researchers discovered some Microsoft tracking scripts while using DuckDuckGo’s browsers. The presence of Microsoft trackers seemed to fly in the face of the search engine’s privacy promise, and DuckDuckGo’s founder and CEO clarified on Reddit that the company was «currently contractually restricted by Microsoft» from stopping Microsoft scripts from completely loading. This is because the company uses Microsoft’s Bing to power its search results. The company followed up in August, however, by announcing that it would further restrict Microsoft trackers in its browsers.

However, DuckDuckGo remains ahead of other popular privacy options when it comes to blocking tracking data, and the company has clarified its app store descriptions to better clarify limitations in its privacy protections. DuckDuckGo had also previously disclosed its partnership with Microsoft, and its CEO said in the Reddit post that the company is working to get that restriction changed.

DuckDuckGo also actively blocks external trackers from following you around online. For a more detailed explanation of DuckDuckGo’s privacy features, check out DuckDuckGo’s blog

DuckDuckGo search pageDuckDuckGo search page

The DuckDuckGo search engine emphasizes privacy.

Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

How is DuckDuckGo different from Google Search? What about Incognito mode and private browsing?

DuckDuckGo essentially takes the opposite approach compared to other big tech companies like Google and Facebook, which have traditionally made money by targeting ads based on your browsing history and personal data. While Google has said it’s going to stop this practice, the platform still collects a ton of data about you, including your location and search activity — yes, even in incognito mode. 

Incognito mode simply deletes information related to your browsing session from your computer: your history, cookies and any info you’ve entered into fields. Notably, it only does that after you end your session by closing out all your tabs. So if you leave your incognito tabs open for hours or days at a time, that information will still build up. And no matter what, Google can save your searches — and companies, internet service providers and governments can still track you across the internet, even when you’re using incognito mode.

DuckDuckGo is different because it doesn’t store your browsing data at all, and it blocks trackers while you’re browsing. 

A blocked tracking notification on DuckDuckGoA blocked tracking notification on DuckDuckGo

When you first use the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser, the app will walk you through the different ways it protects your privacy.

Screenshot from Adam Benjamin/CNET

If it isn’t targeting ads, how does DuckDuckGo make money?

DuckDuckGo still makes money from advertising — it just doesn’t use targeted ads. The search engine shows you ads based on the keywords you search for, which aren’t connected to your personal data like your browsing or purchase history. Essentially, you’ll only see ads for whatever you’re currently searching for, not the weird product your friend sent you a link to last week that you now can’t get away from. 

How can I use DuckDuckGo?

On mobile devices, simply open your app store and search for «DuckDuckGo.» You’ll be able to download the DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser app and use it the same way you’d use Chrome or Safari. At the bottom center of your app, you’ll see a fire icon, which you can press at any time to close all your tabs and clear all personal data.

On desktop, go to duckduckgo.com, where you’ll see a button to add DuckDuckGo to your browser. On Chrome, you’ll be directed to the Chrome webstore page to download the extension for free. On Safari, you’ll be instructed on how to set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine or to manually activate a search using DuckDuckGo. 

For more about online privacy, check out the five reasons to ditch Google for DuckDuckGo, what to know about DuckDuckGo’s free AI feature DuckAssist and how DuckDuckGo’s app tracking protection beta is available to Android users.

Technologies

Tesla to Release First-Quarter Earnings Following Market Close

Tesla’s stock has underperformed all of its megacap peers so far this year as global competition ramps up in the electric vehicle market.

Tesla is scheduled to release its first-quarter financial results after market hours on Wednesday.
Here are the key expectations from Wall Street, based on LSEG estimates:
— Projected earnings per share: 37 cents
— Anticipated revenue: $22.64 billion
Tesla’s stock has underperformed compared to other megacap stocks on Wall Street this year, dropping 14% as of Tuesday’s close, largely due to sluggish sales in its core automotive division. In contrast, the S&P 500 has risen by over 3%.
Analysts forecast a 17% revenue increase from $19.3 billion in the same period last year, marking the company’s strongest growth period since mid-2023.
The past year has been challenging due to competition from Chinese automakers like Xiaomi and BYD, which provide advanced yet more affordable models against Tesla’s aging electric vehicle lineup. Additionally, Tesla faces consumer backlash related to CEO Elon Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration, his provocative political statements, and support for far-right politicians.
Earlier this month, Tesla announced 358,023 vehicle deliveries for the first quarter, a decrease from the previous quarter but a 6% increase year-over-year. The company has experienced annual declines in deliveries for the past two years.
Musk has attempted to shift focus toward the company’s advancements in autonomous driving technology and humanoid robots. While Tesla is testing a limited number of driverless cars for its ride-hailing service in Texas, the company still depends heavily on EV sales for revenue and has not yet launched a vehicle ready for robotaxi operations.
Tesla offers an FSD (Supervised) system for $99 monthly, which requires a human supervisor to remain attentive and ready to take control at any moment. Recently, Tesla received approval to sell a version of FSD (Supervised) in the Netherlands and is pursuing wider European regulatory clearance.
In its delivery report, Tesla noted the deployment of 8.8 gigawatt hours of battery energy storage systems during the first quarter of 2026, falling short of Wall Street expectations after a record 14.2 gigawatt hours in Q4 2025.
Musk’s focus has been divided this quarter as he merged his aerospace and defense company SpaceX with his AI venture xAI in a $1.25 trillion deal. He is now preparing the combined entity for what is anticipated to be a historic IPO.
In Tesla’s January earnings report, the company disclosed investing approximately $2 billion in xAI, with holdings converted to SpaceX shares. Tesla and SpaceX are collaborating on numerous joint initiatives, including a Terafab chip manufacturing facility in Texas and deeper integration of xAI’s Grok models and AI chatbot into Tesla vehicles and robotics.
Investors who submitted questions online ahead of Wednesday’s earnings call inquired about Tesla and SpaceX’s ongoing collaboration and potential future merger.
Shareholders are also demanding concrete data on Tesla’s long-promised autonomous technology, timelines for unveiling the latest Optimus humanoid robots, and updates on its ride-hailing business, where it lags behind Alphabet’s Waymo in the U.S. and Baidu’s Apollo Go in China.
Tesla’s current Robotaxi service primarily relies on human drivers in California or human safety supervisors inside the vehicle. The company recently announced expansions to Dallas and Houston.
WATCH: Tesla can only trade on hopes about the future for so long, says Cramer

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Technologies

LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, appoints veteran executive Dan Shapero as its new Chief Executive Officer

Microsoft’s LinkedIn has appointed veteran executive Dan Shapero as its new Chief Executive Officer, marking a significant leadership transition for the professional networking platform.

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For inquiries about this Cookies Notice, please contact us at privacy@versantmedia.com or Chief Privacy Officer, Versant Legal Department, 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA, Versant Legal Department Attn: Chief Privacy Officer.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

This Notice may be revised occasionally and in accordance with legal requirements. Please revisit this Cookie Notice regularly to stay informed about our and our analytic and advertising partners’ use of Cookies.

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Technologies

Retail Investors Can Now Access OpenAI Through Robinhood’s Venture Fund

Retail investors can now access OpenAI through Robinhood’s venture fund, allowing them to invest in the company’s long-term growth.

<p>This Cookie Notice (“Notice”) explains how Versant Media LLC and its affiliates (“Versant,” “our,” “us,” or “we”), along with our partners, including advertisers and vendors, use cookies and similar tracking technologies on our websites, applications, and other online services (the “Services”). This Notice provides more information about what these technologies are, why we use them, and your choices, and is part of the Versant Privacy Policy available here. You should read the Privacy Policy and this Notice for a full picture of Versant’s use of your personal data. Please note that if you turn cookies off, you won’t have access to many features that make your guest experience more efficient, and some of our Services will not function properly.
WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Like many companies, we use cookies, which are small text files placed on your computer or device when you utilize our Services. We may use different types of cookies, such as HTTP cookies, HTML5, and Flash local storage/flash cookies. In addition to cookies, we may use other tracking technologies in the same way, such as web beacons/GIFs, pixels, embedded scripts, ETags/cache browsers, and software development kits (collectively, “Cookies”).
Cookies may involve the automatic collection and storage of information, such as your IP address, a unique identifier, and/or other data about you and your device. Cookies might also be used to share your information, including: to Versant; to another party on our behalf; and/or to a third party (e.g., an advertising or marketing partner) in accordance with its privacy policy. Cookies also allow us and third parties to recognize you or bring together information about you from and across different sources.
HOW ARE COOKIES USED?
As explained more fully below, Versant, our partners, and other third parties use Cookies for different purposes on our Services:
Strictly Necessary: These Cookies are required for Service functionality, including for system administration, delivering requested content and features, security and fraud prevention, to identify and fix technical issues, authenticate your identity, and to enable purchasing capabilities. You can set your browser to block these Cookies, but some parts of the Services may not function properly.
Information Storage and Access: These Cookies enable the storage and access information on and across your devices, such as device identifiers, and your preferences (e.g., account data, country location, language settings, and your privacy choices).
Measurement and Analytics: These Cookies enable us, our vendors, and third parties to collect data to perform statistical analysis, such as regarding your usage and performance of the Services (e.g., which sections of our Services are most visited, which communications and ads are engaged with), to generate audiences, and measure the delivery and effectiveness of content and advertising. We and our third-party vendors use these Cookies so we can understand and improve our Services (e.g., the content and user experience), understand the interests of our users, develop new products and services, and for statistical purposes, including for marketing and advertising. They are also used to recognize you and provide further insights across platforms and devices for the above purposes.
Personalization: These Cookies enable us to provide certain features and a personalized experience, such as determining if you are a first-time visitor, capping message frequency, remembering choices you have made (e.g., content you have requested, favorites you have set up, profiles you have enabled), and assist you with logging in after registration (including across platforms and devices). These Cookies also allow your device to receive and send information, so you can see and interact with ads and content.
Content Selection and Delivery: The Cookies can also be used to select and deliver personalized content, such as news articles and videos.
Ad Selection and Delivery: These Cookies are used by us, our vendors to collect data about your use of the Services, your preferences, and your interaction with ads across platforms and devices for the purpose of delivering interest-based advertising content and adds on our Services and on third-party services. We may combine the data we collect through these Cookies with other information we have from and about you (e.g., your account data) for these purposes.
Third parties (e.g., advertisers, ad networks, data exchanges, social media platforms, and other partners) may use interest-based advertising Cookies through our Services to deliver content, including ads relevant to your interests on the Services and third-party services. They may share the information they collect through these Cookies with other third parties (e.g., advertisers) according to their privacy policy.
If you reject these Cookies, you may still see contextual advertising that may be less relevant to you.
Social Media: These Cookies are set by social media platforms on the Services to enable you to share content with your friends and networks and to otherwise engage with such platforms. Social media platforms have the ability to track your online activity outside of the Services. This may impact the content and messages you see on other services.
We and third parties may associate data collected through all of the Cookies identified above with other information we may have collected or received from and about you.
HOW DO I MANAGE COOKIES?
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Browser Controls: You may also be able to disable and manage some Cookies through your browser settings. If you use multiple browsers on the same device, you will need to manage your settings for each browser. Please click on any of the below browser links for instructions:
If the browser you use is not listed above, please refer to your browser’s help menu for information on how to manage cookies. Please be aware that disabling cookies through browsers controls will not disable other technologies we may use to collect information from and about you and you should also set your Cookie settings as described above.
Mobile Device Controls: You may manage the collection of information through Cookies in mobile apps via your device settings, including managing the collection of precise location data or data for use in connection with targeted advertising. Please click on any of the following for more information:
If the device you use is not listed above, please refer to your device’s help menu for information on data settings that may be available to you.
Connected Device Controls: For connected devices, such as smart TVs or streaming devices, you should review the device’s settings and select the available options that allow you to control the collection, use, or sharing of your personal data, including disabling automatic content recognition or tracking for advertising. Typically, to opt out, such devices require you to select options like “limit ad tracking” or to disable options such as “interest-based advertising,” “interactive TV,” or “smart interactivity”. These settings vary by device type.
Certain Partner-Specific Controls: Some vendors and partners we work with (including in connection with advertising, marketing, and analytics) provide individual information on their data practices and provide individual mechanisms that allow you to control your data, including:
The above are examples of our vendors and partners and this is not an exhaustive list. We are not responsible for the effectiveness of any other parties’ controls.
Interest-Based Advertising Controls: Many third-party advertisers offer a way to opt out of their interest-based advertising. For more information or to opt out of receiving interest-based advertising from certain third-party advertisers, depending on your country of residence, please visit:
For certain Services, Versant participates in the IAB Europe Transparency &amp; Consent Framework and complies with its Specifications and Policies.
Consequences of Deactivation of Cookies: If you disable or remove Cookies, some parts of the Services may not function properly. Information may still be collected and used for other purposes, such as research, online services analytics or internal operations, and to remember your opt-out preferences.
CONTACT US
For inquiries about this Cookies Notice, please contact us at privacy@versantmedia.com or Chief Privacy Officer, Versant Legal Department, 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, USA, Versant Legal Department Attn: Chief Privacy Officer.
CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE
This Notice may be revised occasionally and in accordance with legal requirements. Please revisit this Cookie Notice regularly to stay informed about our and our analytic and advertising partners’ use of Cookies.</p>

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