Duckduckgo, Microsoft, Searches, Privacy and Censorship
Privacy that isn't, secret censorship and opacity.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 by DrJBHL | Discussion: Personal Computing
This past week, two articles taught me (once again), "Don't believe anything they tell you and suspect everything."
The first (chronologically) reported that online searches done even in the U.S. and Canada using Bing are censored in the start menu search, Bing, and even Duckduckgo which uses Bing's (but not Google's, lol) autosuggestion and shares data with MS. More on that, later. The duplicity of that in its advertising alone is staggering considering how Duckduckgo states how it respects your privacy and prevents tracking a la Google.
Notice which company isn't mentioned in this graph from Duckduckgo's website: Microsoft.
What's being censored?
"You may find it hard to search for people considered politically sensitive in China if you're using Bing — even if you're in the United States. The Citizen Lab, a research lab based at the University of Toronto's Munk School, has analyzed Bing's autosuggestion system and found that names of Chinese party leaders and dissidents don't automatically show up like they usually would when you start typing. They're apparently the second largest category of names censored by autosuggest, next to names related to pornography and eroticism.
The lab found that the censorship applies to names typed in Chinese characters and in English letters. Plus, it affects not just Bing, but also the Windows Start menu search and DuckDuckGo, which uses Bing's autosuggestion system. Perhaps more importantly, it applies to various regions in the world, including China, the US and Canada. Some of the most prominent examples of names Microsoft won't autocomplete are President Xi Jinping, human rights activist Liu Xiaobo and the Tank Man, which is the nickname for the unidentified Chinese man who famously stood in front of the tanks leaving Tiananmen Square." - M. Moon, Engaget
The second article revealed that Duckduckgo's searches aren't as private as we've been led to believe.
"DuckDuckGo made a deal with the devil. Due to a confidential search agreement, the DuckDuckGo browser does not block all Microsoft trackers. What’s worse, DuckDuckGo only acknowledged this “privacy hole” after it was discovered by a security researcher.
As you may know, DuckDuckGo pulls its search results from other services, primarily Bing. You may also know that clicking a Microsoft-provided ad in DuckDuckGo will reveal your IP address to the Microsoft Advertising service—this is explicitly stated on DuckDuckGo’s website and in the company’s search engine.
But this partnership goes a bit deeper than we thought. Security researcher @thezedwards found that the mobile DuckDuckGo browser does not block Microsoft trackers on third-party websites, such as the Facebook-owned Workplace.com....
Gabriel Weinberg says that DuckDuckGo is “working tirelessly behind the scenes” to improve its deal with Microsoft. Additionally, he expects DuckDuckGo to “include more third-party Microsoft protection” in a future update.
Yeah, that’s great. But why are we only hearing about this now? We’ve all seen the ads and billboards—privacy and transparency are the biggest features in DuckDuckGo’s browser. Oh, but Microsoft gets an exception, and users aren’t allowed to know about it?" - Andrew Heinzman, ReviewGeek
The lack of transparency, the deliberate misdirection, and the omission of truth in Duckduckgo's advertising and pretense of concern for your privacy are outrageous and egregious. They are deserving of contempt.
So, if you ask me which search engine you should use to ensure your privacy, I'll refer you to this article: "10 Privacy Oriented Alternative Search Engines To Google"...just disregard the first on their list.
Sources:
https://www.reviewgeek.com/118915/duckduckgo-isnt-as-private-as-you-thought/
https://itsfoss.com/privacy-search-engines/
Reply #2 Thursday, May 26, 2022 3:36 PM
Disappointed in DuckDuckGo, to say the least. Switching to Brave's integrated search for now.
Reply #4 Friday, May 27, 2022 8:40 PM
Shame is, DuckDuckGo's browser for iOS is really nice & has been my default there for some time. Fortunately, Brave for iOS is quite nice as well.
Reply #5 Friday, May 27, 2022 11:37 PM
Shame is, DuckDuckGo's browser for iOS is really nice & has been my default there for some time. Fortunately, Brave for iOS is quite nice as well.
If one has to choose between appearance and privacy, for me the latter is preferable. Luckily, Brave isn't ugly.
Reply #6 Saturday, May 28, 2022 8:33 AM
there is no privacy or anonymity unless you unplug and don't use the internet or smartphone
there is nothing for free or free of charge everything is paid by data also with other allegedly private or anonymous offers
Actually, Brave uses its own .onion network, like tor browser. That's pretty much as private as you'll get.
Reply #7 Saturday, May 28, 2022 10:16 AM
there is no privacy or anonymity unless you unplug and don't use the internet or smartphone
there is nothing for free or free of charge everything is paid by data also with other allegedly private or anonymous offers
Actually, Brave uses its own .onion network, like tor browser. That's pretty much as private as you'll get.
Thought Brave was Chromium Based Browser Doc.
Reply #8 Saturday, May 28, 2022 11:59 AM
I had been hoping DDG was working on a full-fledged PC browser for some time. Now, not so much. Brave appears to be about as 'private' as you can currently get.
Reply #9 Saturday, May 28, 2022 12:16 PM
there is no privacy or anonymity unless you unplug and don't use the internet or smartphone
there is nothing for free or free of charge everything is paid by data also with other allegedly private or anonymous offers
Actually, Brave uses its own .onion network, like tor browser. That's pretty much as private as you'll get.
Thought Brave was Chromium Based Browser Doc.
It is. So is Tor. The .onion is a network
Reply #10 Saturday, May 28, 2022 1:39 PM
1) https://brave.com/new-onion-service/
2) Brave is a Chromium based browser.
"Developed by Brave Software, Inc., Brave is based on Chromium, a Google-sponsored free and open-source web browser. This is the same technology Google uses for its Chrome browser and Microsoft for Edge. Chromium is also the brains behind lesser-used browsers, including Amazon Silk, Opera, Vivaldi, and many more." - https://www.groovypost.com/explainer/what-is-brave-browser-and-what-makes-it-unique/
Reply #11 Saturday, May 28, 2022 1:48 PM
I've been using a VPN for so long it sometimes slips my mind in these discussions. Regardless of browser, a VPN is highly advisable, if not mandatory for maximal security. They are not expensive. My preferred at present is NordVPN. I wouldn't trust a free one.
Reply #13 Saturday, May 28, 2022 4:24 PM
If your personal safety depends on remaining anonymous, we highly recommend using Tor Browser instead of Brave Tor windows.
I think my personal safety is ok with Brave + vpn...I don't visit websites which would be problematic to my safety. True, Tor browser gives the best privacy, but is also a magnet for the folks who might ask, "Why does he need to use Tor browser?".
Reply #15 Sunday, May 29, 2022 12:50 PM
Yet another interesting article on this:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/privacy-search-engine-duckduckgo-smoked-over-hidden-tracking-agreement-microsoft
What chicanery next, I wonder.
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Reply #1 Thursday, May 26, 2022 9:20 AM
As a Massive Cynic always, i have never really believed all the crap posted about this app or this OS etc.. We all live and operate in a Digital world were almost everyone , be that a company spokesman, or the next best thing we can not live without, turns out to be either Lies, Part Lies, or even part truths. We are Lied too on a regular basis from the likes of MS, Apple etc..
I never jump into something before doing my own bit of research, yes there will always be peeps who jump in head first and later find , this or that is not what was expected, we have no control over that, but we as a forum always try to share tricks, tips and better ways of working within A Liars Market. Just as well there will always be peeps who push back, Make Good, Adapt and release things to help.