Tech Security Experts Caution Users About DuckDuckGo — Details Here

Choosing the right search engine, like privacy-minded DuckDuckGo, to find relevant results and protect our identity is of the utmost importance. Whether internet users are searching for the best meditation resources, restaurants that serve vegan food, or resources to buy and sell clothes, maintaining data privacy is essential.

With security in mind, how valid are DuckDuckGo's claims about user anonymity?

We reviewed what experts say about the DuckDuckGo search engine so that you can make the most informed decisions to keep your internet activity as safe as possible. Keep reading to learn what industry experts think of DuckDuckGo and whether you should use this search engine or find alternatives.

The experts at Security.org claim DuckDuckGo is a favorite private browser, though DuckDuckGo is best known for its privacy-protecting search engine. Recognition by industry experts aside, they do acknowledge that DuckDuckGo does have some vulnerabilities that any user may be susceptible to.

To start, DuckDuckGo does not have a built-in anti-virus mechanism to protect users from malware that may be present on certain websites. This leaves users vulnerable.

Although DuckDuckGo blocks trackers to shield your identity, an agreement between DuckDuckGo and Microsoft was discovered in 2022 that permitted the tech giant to utilize advertising trackers, per WIRED.

"By examining the browser's data flows on Facebook-owned website Workplace.com, [Cybersecurity and privacy researcher Zach Edwards] found that the site's Microsoft-placed tracking scripts continued to communicate back to Microsoft-owned domains like Bing and LinkedIn."

Finally, as Security.org notes, your internet service provider (ISP) may be tracking your web activity, including searches made using the DuckDuckGo search engine. According to NordVPN, a virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your data and masks your IP address to better protect your online activity.

Ultimately, the degree of safety of DuckDuckGo or any other search engine or web browser depends on the intended use of your computer, what kind of data you share online, and the location from where you are accessing the internet.

For example, according to Surfshark, DuckDuckGo is safe to use because it doesn't track or store user data and doesn't display targeted ads. Also, per the DuckDuckGo website, its encryption technology keeps you safer across websites.

However, there are inherent vulnerabilities that even a search engine like DuckDuckGo may not protect, such as connecting to public WiFi, which may make it easier to hack and leave your data compromised, per Forbes. Unless you are certain your data is encrypted and you're on a WiFi network you can trust, you should never do things like online banking, according to Stack Overflow users.

Ultimately, the combination of a secure search engine or private browser like DuckDuckGo, along with a VPN used at all times while surfing the internet, and only connecting to a trusted WiFi network to do things like online banking or transmitting other sensitive information, is the most effective way to ensure your data and online activity is secure.