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How to use DuckDuckGo to search the web privately on your phone and computer

Using DuckDuckGo is an easy way to protect your privacy as you search online. Here’s how to set up the privacy-focused search engine on mobile and in a browser.

Privacy-focused internet search engine DuckDuckGo promises users a seemingly dream experience of private searches, no ad-trackers and smarter encryption — all for free. With a promise like that, the 13-year-old company appears to be in a prime position to fulfill internet users’ increasing desire for privacy in an age of data leaks, breaches and scandals.

DuckDuckGo’s popularity has surged recently, with more than 50 million app downloads and a 55% traffic increase in the past year, according to a report from SpreadPrivacy.com last June. The search engine is yet another tool you can add to your digital privacy arsenal, like Apple’s prompt to opt out of tracking, which 84% of Apple users have chosen since the iOS 14.5 release.

In addition to its private search engine, DuckDuckGo offers a privacy browser app for iOS and Android, as well as a Chrome extension. If you’d rather not download the app or extension, you can also go to duckduckgo.com and run your searches there. Here’s how to use DuckDuckGo on your browser or mobile.

How do I get DuckDuckGo on my Android phone?

1. Open the Google Play Store app
2. Search DuckDuckGo
3. Choose DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser
4. Tap Install
5. Tap Open
6. DuckDuckGo will ask if you want to set Google Chrome or DuckDuckGo as your default browser app. Choose which one you want and tap Set As Default.

From there, DuckDuckGo will ask you to do a quick search as a tutorial. I searched a clothing store I frequent and DuckDuckGo immediately notified me that it had blocked two ad trackers. You can also view the grade DuckDuckGo gave the website you’ve visited, how many trackers were blocked, whether the connection is encrypted and what the site’s privacy practices are.

Tap the flame icon next to the search bar to clear out any vulnerable personal data from your tabs. Tap Clear All Tabs and Data to “burn” away your personal data.

How do I get DuckDuckGo on my iPhone?

1. Open the App Store
2. Search DuckDuckGo
3. Choose DuckDuckGo Privacy Browser
4. Tap Get
5. Enter your Apple ID password or confirm the download with Face ID or Touch ID.
6. Tap Open
7. DuckDuckGo will ask if you want to make DuckDuckGo your default browser app. Choose Set As Default or Skip.

From there, DuckDuckGo will redirect you to your Settings app for any additional changes and to view what the program will have access to. You can choose your default browser app from Safari to DuckDuckGo here as well.

After you’ve configured your settings the way you want them, you can open the app and start running searches. When I visited CNN.com, DuckDuckGo reported that it had blocked almost 30 trackers. In addition, the app provided a privacy grade for the site, as well as the option to wipe personal data out of the browser with the fire icon.

DuckDuckGo and Siri

Under DuckDuckGo’s tab in Settings, you can see what the program can do with Siri and your search requests. You can choose whether or not you want Siri to learn from your DuckDuckGo searches to make suggestions for you, allow the DuckDuckGo app and its contents to appear in search, as well as allow suggestions and content from DuckDuckGo and Shortcuts for the app to appear in Search and widgets. If you don’t have Siri enabled, this isn’t something you have to worry about.

How do I use the DuckDuckGo Chrome extension?

On DuckDuckGo’s website, the option to add the private search engine to Chrome is a button right under the search bar.

1. Open DuckDuckGo in a Google Chrome browser
2. Click the Add DuckDuckGo to Chrome button. This will redirect you to the Chrome Web Store.
3. Click the Add to Chrome button in the top right corner.
4. DuckDuckGo will ask if you want to add Privacy Essentials. This will give DuckDuckGo permission to fend off ad-trackers and keep your searches private. If you agree, click Add Extension.
5. You’ll be redirected to a page saying the extension was successfully installed. DuckDuckGo will also give you links to download the privacy browser on mobile.
6. When you’re ready, click Start Searching and you’ll be taken to the main DuckDuckGo search bar.

Now when you open a new window or tab on Chrome, DuckDuckGo will pop up instead of Google’s search bar.

Technologies

Pokémon card curbs send shares of Japanese online marketplace Mercari on a bumpy ride

Mercari shares are clawing back losses after Pokémon card listing restrictions triggered a selloff earlier this week.

Shares of Mercari jumped more than 4% on Friday, extending their rebound from a selloff sparked by the Japanese online marketplace’s restrictions on listings of PokĂ©mon’s 30th anniversary products announced Tuesday.

The company said the restrictions would remain in place for as long as it determines that a safe and secure trading environment cannot be ensured.

Its shares closed 6.4% lower on Wednesday, the day the restrictions took effect, before recovering to close 1.4% higher on Thursday.

The stock was also outperforming the Nikkei 225 on Friday morning, which was up roughly 1%.

Mercari said it imposed the temporary listing ban over concerns that a surge in transactions following the release of the anniversary products could lead to trading disputes, as well as harassment of users involved in transactions.

Citibank attributed Wednesday’s more than 6% drop to Mercari’s announcement of the PokĂ©mon card listing restrictions. It said Mercari’s recent share-price weakness had pushed the stock to “overly pessimistic levels,” calling the shares “oversold” and the pullback an investment opportunity.

Growth in the value of goods sold on Mercari’s marketplace in the second half of fiscal 2026 exceeded expectations, while a recovery across multiple categories could support double-digit growth, the bank added.

Citi also said that the halt to trading of certain products was negative for Mercari, but said the impact was not significant enough for the bank to revise its forecasts.

The restrictions come amid a global PokĂ©mon card boom. Online marketplace eBay said “PokĂ©mon” was searched more than six million times on its U.K. site in July, underscoring continued demand for trading cards.

Pokémon card prices have surged 1,350% since 2020, according to an index compiled by Collectors, which owns card grading agency Professional Sports Authenticator, CNBC previously reported. In February, influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pikachu Illustrator card for more than $16 million, after buying it for just over $5 million in 2021. New cards can sell out within minutes, with people coordinating on X and Discord to know where to go.

A post on X this month claimed that a Pokémon card sold for $2.7 million at auction, setting a record.

Mercari signed an agreement with The Pokémon Company in 2023 to promote safer trading of Pokémon products on its marketplace, and introduced a policy in 2025 allowing it to restrict listings when issues such as fraud, transaction disputes or extreme price swings threaten marketplace safety.

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Technologies

Bank of Japan hikes interest rates to 31-year peak amid inflation worries

The Bank of Japan raised interest rates to a 31-year high of 1.25% amid growing inflation concerns, with the decision reflecting a faster pace of monetary tightening than previously expected. Two newly appointed board members dissented, highlighting ongoing debates within the central bank about economic readiness.

The Bank of Japan increased its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, marking the highest level since 1995. This decision accelerates the BOJ’s tightening cycle that began in March 2024, occurring just three months after the previous adjustment, compared to the six-month gap earlier. The vote was 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato opposing the increase. Both dissenters are considered reflationist economists appointed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier in the year. Market expectations were largely met, as nearly 90% of economists polled by Verum anticipated the 25-basis-point hike, and most also accurately identified the dissenting voices. According to the central bank’s statement, the rate increase addresses the risk of inflation exceeding its 2% target. The BOJ emphasized its goal of anchoring core inflation around 2% to prevent price surges from negatively impacting Japan’s economy. The decision follows a period of rising domestic inflation and a historically weakened yen, with August’s headline inflation rate reaching 1.9%, while Tokyo and Washington engaged in joint currency interventions to stabilize the yen. Immediately after the announcement, the yen traded at 156.64 against the dollar, reflecting a 0.45% decline, while the yield on Japan’s 10-year government bonds dropped 4.9 basis points to 2.947%. Asada argued that since core inflation remained below 2%—standing at 1.7% in August, down from 1.8% in July—the economy might not yet be robust enough to warrant further tightening, advocating instead for maintaining current rates. Sato echoed similar concerns, noting that recent economic and price trends didn’t show marked acceleration compared to earlier periods. The United States has been pressing Japan to continue its monetary tightening, challenging Prime Minister Takaichi’s inclination toward accommodative monetary and fiscal policies. At the recent G20 gathering of finance ministers and central bank governors, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda to implement ‘decisive market and monetary actions.’

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Technologies

Crude Prices Decline as Middle East Oil Flows Remain Resilient

Oil prices dipped on Monday amid strong Middle East oil flows, while geopolitical tensions and supply worries loom over future market direction.

Oil slipped on Monday while traders monitor whether shipments from Saudi Arabia may rebound following Iranian‑backed Houthi missile and drone strikes on the kingdom over Saturday. Brent crude futures for November delivery fell 1.66% to $102.15 per barrel, and West Texas Intermediate October futures dropped 1.83% to $98.46 per barrel. Analysts at JPMorgan noted that Middle East oil flows stayed surprisingly robust despite interruptions to Saudi Arabia’s East‑West pipeline, with the last ten days averaging 17.1 million barrels per day—6.1 million bpd below the 2025 average. Potential supply bottlenecks persist. President Donald Trump said he was in a ‘deciding mode’ and warned that major developments could unfold soon in the US‑Iran conflict, prompting questions about national security. Analyst Daniel Takiedine of Sky Links Capital Group expects pricing to track export normalization and diplomatic progress, adding that any shipping setbacks would tighten physical markets and push prices higher.

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