Web search engine and browser company DuckDuckGo markets itself as a privacy-focused alternative to Google, Apple, Microsotft and other similar offerings. But DuckDuckGo is in hot water over revelations that it allowed Microsoft to track its users as part of an advertising agreement.
Tech expert Omar Gallaga says a security researcher discovered the tracking, forcing the company’s CEO to explain at length.
Highlights from this segment:
– DuckDuckGo promises users that it does not track their search activity, or browsing habits, if they use the company’s mobile browsers. It’s the core of the company’s brand.
– Microsoft is a business partner of DuckDuckGo, and was permitted to track IP addresses across sites it owns, like LinkedIn and Bing. Tracking by non-Microsoft services was blocked by DuckDuckGo.
– The CEO of DuckDuckGo said the tracking only occurred in the DuckDuckGo browser, not the search engine.
