https://9to5mac.com/2022/05/25/duckduckgo-privacy-microsoft-permission-tracking/ [cropped-cr] Switch site * Exclusives * Store * Guides + Reviews + How Tos + AAPL + Apple Store + Apple Arcade + Apple Card + Apple Silicon + Apple One + CarPlay + Siri + HomeKit * Mac + Mac + MacBook Pro + MacBook Air + iMac 2021 + iMac + Mac Pro + Mac mini + macOS Monterey * iPhone + iPhone + iPhone 11 + iPhone 12 + iPhone 13 + iOS 15 * Watch + Apple Watch + Apple Health + Apple Watch Series 7 + Apple Watch SE + Apple Watch Series 3 + watchOS 8 + Apple Fitness+ * iPad + iPad Pro + iPad Air + iPad mini + iPad + iPadOS * Music + Apple Music + AirPods + HomePod * TV + Apple TV 4K + Apple TV + tvOS 15 Toggle main menu More social networks Submit a Tip / Contact Us Cashback Fix Toggle dark mode Search [ ] Search Toggle search * 9to5Toys * 9to5Google * Electrek * DroneDJ * Space Explored * About * Privacy Yesterday DuckDuckGo caught giving Microsoft permission for trackers despite strong privacy reputation Jose Adorno - May. 25th 2022 6:33 am PT @joseadorno duckduckgo browser privacy 0 * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * LinkedIn * Reddit * DuckDuckGo is known for its privacy-first commitment to users on iOS, Android, browsers, and soon with its own Mac app. Now, a report puts in check the company's privacy focus due to a search agreement with Microsoft that let the Redmond company continue tracking users on the browser. [INS::INS] As reported by Bleeping Computer, security researcher Zach Edwards posted on Twitter that "while DuckDuckGo blocks Google and Facebook trackers, it allowed Microsoft trackers to continue running." The company explains that "this issue is occurring on browsers and only pertains to non-DuckDuckGo websites." Tests showed that the browser allowed trackers related to Bing and LinkedIn domains while blocking all other trackers. Edwards' thread got the attention of DuckDuckGO CEO Gabriel Weinberg, which said the browser intentionally allows Microsoft trackers third-party sites due to a search syndication agreement with Redmond. When you load our search results, you are completely anonymous, including ads. For ads, we worked with Microsoft to make ad clicks protected. From our public ads page, 'Microsoft Advertising does not associate your ad-click behavior with a user profile'. For non-search tracker blocking (eg in our browser), we block most third-party trackers. Unfortunately our Microsoft search syndication agreement prevent us from doing more to Microsoft-owned properties. However, we have been continually pushing and expect to be doing more soon. While it doesn't seem that big of a deal since, technically, users aren't tracked, DuckDuckGo's focus on privacy put the company vision in check. In the same way, Apple promises privacy-first on its ecosystem, and it's very controversial once you hear reports about third-party companies listening to HomePod requests. Or the company is all-in on privacy or it's not. After the Bleeping Computer story, DuckDuckGo sent a statement to the publication and 9to5Mac saying it will be clearer with the Microsoft partnership and keep improving users' right to privacy: "We have always been extremely careful to never promise anonymity when browsing, because that frankly isn't possible given how quickly trackers change how they work to evade protections and the tools we currently offer. When most other browsers on the market talk about tracking protection they are usually referring to 3rd-party cookie protection and fingerprinting protection, and our browsers for iOS, Android, and our new Mac beta, impose these restrictions on third-party tracking scripts, including those from Microsoft. What we're talking about here is an above-and-beyond protection that most browsers don't even attempt to do -- that is, blocking third-party tracking scripts before they load on 3rd party websites. Because we're doing this where we can, users are still getting significantly more privacy protection with DuckDuckGo than they would using Safari, Firefox and other browsers. This blog post we published gets into the real benefits users enjoy from this approach, like faster load times (46% average decrease) and less data transferred (34% average decrease). Our goal has always been to provide the most privacy we can in one download, by default without any complicated settings." You can capture data within the DuckDuckGo so-called private browser on a website like Facebook's https://t.co/u8W44qvsqF and you'll see that DDG does NOT stop data flows to Microsoft's Linkedin domains or their Bing advertising domains. iOS + Android proof: [?][?][?][?] pic.twitter.com/u3Q30KIs7e -- ach Edwards (@thezedwards) May 23, 2022 FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: You're reading 9to5Mac -- experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don't know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel Guides duckduckgo duckduckgo About the Author [29525177c4] Jose Adorno @joseadorno Brazilian tech Journalist. Author at 9to5Mac. Previously at tv globo, the main TV broadcaster in Latin America. Got tips, feedback, or questions? jose@9to5mac.com Hands-on: The new Pride Apple Watch bands Will the iPhone 14 lineup face delays? 'Apple Account Card' now available in Wallet app Here's what the purple iPhone 14 Pro will look like Powered by WordPress VIP