# Privacy Essentials privacy rating

DuckDuckGo browser extension that blocks trackers, upgrades connections to HTTPS and sets DuckDuckGo as the search engine.

## Summary

Privacy Essentials scores 40 out of 100 (grade D) on the browser extensions criteria. It meets 1 of 4 criteria: open source. It partly meets no ads or data sales. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry and independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.

- Website: https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/desktop/adding-duckduckgo-to-your-browser
- Source code: https://github.com/duckduckgo/duckduckgo-privacy-extension
- License: Apache-2.0
- Jurisdiction: United States. Five Eyes member. Subject to the US CLOUD Act.
- Home page trackers: none found
- Category: [Browser extensions](https://privacyratings.com/browser-extensions/)
- Also rated: [DuckDuckGo Email Protection](https://privacyratings.com/email-forwarding/duckduckgo-email-protection/) (Email forwarding and aliases), [DuckDuckGo Browser](https://privacyratings.com/browsers/duckduckgo-browser/) (Browsers), [DuckDuckGo](https://privacyratings.com/search-engines/duckduckgo/) (Search engines)
- Grade: D (40/100)

## Criteria

| Criterion | Answer | Note | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Open source | Yes | Apache-2.0. | https://github.com/duckduckgo/duckduckgo-privacy-extension/blob/main/LICENSE.md |
| No trackers or telemetry | No | No third-party trackers, but the extension sends an anonymous usage-counting request with each search, with no documented way to turn it off. | https://duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/privacy/atb/ |
| No ads or data sales | Partial | The extension has no ads, but DuckDuckGo is funded by search ads based on the current search, not a profile. | https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/duckduckgo-for-firefox/privacy/ |
| Independent audit | No | No independent audit is published. |  |

Source: https://privacyratings.com/browser-extensions/privacy-essentials/
Edit: https://github.com/privacyratings/privacyratings.com/edit/main/ratings/browser-extensions/privacy-essentials.md