Browsers
DuckDuckGo Browser privacy rating
Browser from DuckDuckGo that uses the system web engine, blocks third-party trackers, and includes a one-tap Fire Button for clearing data, email protection and DuckDuckGo search by default.
Summary
DuckDuckGo Browser scores 70 out of 100 (grade C) on the browsers criteria. It meets 4 of 8 criteria: blocks trackers by default, fingerprinting protection, no calls to big-tech services and timely security updates. It partly meets open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Score 70 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Partial
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
The Android, iOS and macOS apps are Apache-2.0. The Windows app is closed source.
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Partial
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
The Android app has 0 trackers in Exodus. The apps send anonymous usage pixels without identifiers by default.
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Partial
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
The browser has no ads, but the default DuckDuckGo search shows ads based on the search query, not the user. No data is sold.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Third-party tracker scripts on its block list are blocked by default.
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Yes
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
Fingerprinting scripts are blocked and browser APIs used for fingerprinting are overridden by default.
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Yes
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Uses its own malicious-site list instead of Google Safe Browsing, with no data sent to third parties.
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Yes
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Uses the operating system's web engine (WebKit, WebView2 or Android System WebView), which receives security fixes through automatic system updates.