{
  "slug": "duckduckgo",
  "category": "search-engines",
  "name": "DuckDuckGo",
  "description": "Search engine that does not save search history or tie searches to IP addresses. Ads are based on the search terms instead of a profile.",
  "website": "https://duckduckgo.com",
  "source": "https://github.com/duckduckgo",
  "license": null,
  "platforms": [],
  "jurisdiction": {
    "code": "US",
    "name": "United States",
    "eyes": "Five Eyes",
    "eu": false,
    "gdpr": false,
    "cloud_act": "provider"
  },
  "pick": true,
  "pick_reason": "Results good enough to replace Google for most searches, no search history, no profile-based ads, and no account needed. Apps and browser extensions are open source.",
  "disclosure": null,
  "grade": "C",
  "score": 73,
  "coverage": 100,
  "summary": "DuckDuckGo scores 73 out of 100 (grade C) on the search engines criteria. It meets 6 of 11 criteria: no trackers or telemetry, tells users about requests, TLS configuration, no search history logs, no profile-based ads and no account needed. It partly meets open source, no ads or data sales, transparency report and security headers. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act. Automated tests: SSL Labs grade A+ and Mozilla HTTP Observatory grade B.",
  "url": "https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/duckduckgo/",
  "markdown": "https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/duckduckgo/index.md",
  "answers": {
    "open_source": {
      "title": "Open source",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://github.com/duckduckgo/Android/blob/develop/LICENSE",
      "note": "Apps and extensions are open source, such as the Apache-2.0 Android app. The search engine itself is not."
    },
    "no_trackers": {
      "title": "No trackers or telemetry",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "No third-party trackers or tracking cookies; anonymous experiments store no identifiers, and the Android app has no known trackers in its Exodus report."
    },
    "no_ads": {
      "title": "No ads or data sales",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "Funded by search ads based only on the current search, not a profile."
    },
    "independent_audit": {
      "title": "Independent audit",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "no",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "No independent audit is published."
    },
    "transparency_report": {
      "title": "Transparency report",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "The privacy policy states how legal requests are handled and that search histories cannot be provided, but no request counts are published."
    },
    "user_notice": {
      "title": "Tells users about requests",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "Users with an email address on file are notified of legal disclosures by email unless legally forbidden."
    },
    "tls": {
      "title": "TLS configuration",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=duckduckgo.com&hideResults=on",
      "note": "Grade A+"
    },
    "security_headers": {
      "title": "Security headers",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "partial",
      "evidence": "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/observatory/analyze?host=duckduckgo.com",
      "note": "Grade B (75/100+)"
    },
    "web_standards": {
      "title": "Modern web standards",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "pending",
      "evidence": null,
      "note": "Not tested yet."
    },
    "no_search_logs": {
      "title": "No search history logs",
      "weight": 3,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "Search history is not saved, and IP addresses are not saved alongside searches."
    },
    "no_personalized_ads": {
      "title": "No profile-based ads",
      "weight": 2,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": null
    },
    "no_account_needed": {
      "title": "No account needed",
      "weight": 1,
      "answer": "yes",
      "evidence": "https://duckduckgo.com/privacy",
      "note": "Search needs no account. Only optional extras such as Email Protection need one."
    }
  },
  "tests": {
    "ssllabs": "A+",
    "observatory": "B",
    "internetnl_web": null,
    "internetnl_mail": null,
    "trackers": [],
    "tested_at": "2026-10-01T10:59:34.453Z"
  },
  "last_modified": "2026-10-01T11:14:42Z"
}